Turkish and Gulf airlines have started promoting free Wi-Fi and improved in-flight connectivity for passengers’ smartphones following a recent laptop ban in planes flying to the United States.
Last. March 21, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed that the said restrictions would apply to flights from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority nations. The United Kingdom afterward issued a similar ban on all flights coming from airports in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Turkey.
Mitigating The Effects Of Laptop Ban
The newly announced restrictions are expected to affect growing Gulf airlines who have a good volume of business-class flyers who stop over in Dubai or Doha for long-distance journeys, and Turkish Airlines with its high numbers of transit passengers, Reuters reported.
At Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, for instance, Turkish Airlines staff has taken flyers’ electronic devices larger than cell phones at the boarding gate, storing them in special containers. Passengers are also asked to leave laptops and tablets for storage in the baggage hold.
"The electronic devices will be received by an airline officer during the last check-in before boarding the aircraft and will be placed in a special shatterproof luggage after being wrapped in foam covers," Bilal Eksi, the airline’s CEO, told Anadolu Agency.
To help mitigate the potential risks of the ban, airlines are eyeing a system where they can allow passengers to make use of 3G data roaming on their phone for in-flight connectivity. A Turkish Airlines official revealed, too, that they are planning to make Wi-Fi freely available on select aircraft starting next month.
The official relayed to Reuters that they are speeding up infrastructure work in light of the recent restrictions, and that their Boeing 777 and Airbus 330 aircraft could enjoy free Wi-Fi services beginning April.
Other Carriers Act Amid Recent Laptop Ban
Emirates said it is introducing a laptop as well as tablet handling service for flights bound for the United States, letting flyers use their devices until it is time to board the plane. The devices, they said, would be packed carefully in boxes and returned once passengers have arrived in the country.
The airline provides free but limited Wi-Fi access, or a passenger can opt to pay $1 for 500 MB connection.
Etihad, on the other hand, urged its flyers to pack their affected electronics in check-in luggage. They assured, however, that they would allow the handing over of devices during boarding.
Royal Jordanian took a different approach, promoting on its Twitter account 12 things that one can do while on a 12-hour flight – without the use of any tablet or laptop.
It was earlier reported that the restrictions were already planned many weeks ago, since the government received a security threat. Media agencies linked the electronics ban to several bombing attempts from the Al Qaeda camp on U.S.-bound airlines in the last few weeks.
The White House, however, refused to comment on the issue or any “potential security precautions,” maintaining that they will release an official statement when necessary.
In 2014, the government also increased security in terms of electronic gadget use. They required phones and other gadgets to be turned on at airports’ checking kiosks before boarding.
