Emirates might offer ‘loaner laptops’ to passengers amid US ban

Tim Clark said the loaners could “be used in-flight to help people do what they need to do in the absence of devices that are in the hold.”

Tim Clark said Emirates may explore ‘creative’ ways to work around the devices ban if it remains in place over the long term. Pawan Singh / The National

Emirates airline might offer passengers loaner laptops as the world’s biggest long-haul carrier seeks to soften the blow from a US ban on electronics in airplane cabins.

The Dubai-based airline may explore “creative” ways to work around the ban if it remains in place over the long term, the airline’s president, Tim Clark, said in an interview. That could include providing government-approved laptops that “can be used in-flight to help people do what they need to do in the absence of devices that are in the hold.”

The airline’s routes to the US could be at risk if travellers book with rivals, Mr Clark indicated. If customer demand diminishes due to “whatever actions the United States government takes, we will have to adjust accordingly, that’s just good business,” he said.

Under a rule that came into effect on Saturday, the US prohibits travelers on flights from 10 Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, from bringing large electronics into the aircraft cabin. The UK partially followed, but didn’t target the Arabian Gulf hubs. The ban deals a blow to the likes of Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways after Donald Trump earlier this year attempted to restrict citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

Mr Clark was critical of the selective targeting of the laptop ban, saying if there’s a risk that laptops can be used during flights for terrorist activity, then the restriction “should be applied to the airline industry universally”.

After Mr Trump’s initial travel ban, Emirates said the rate of bookings growth to the US dropped. The latest policy won’t “help” demand for Emirates’ 18 flights a day to the US, Mr Clark said, adding that a true assessment of the ban’s impact will come next month as travelers plan summer vacations.

Still, no changes are planned yet, and Emirates expects “robust demand” on its new Athens-Newark route this year, which will be exempt from the US order.

While there have been some difficulties on the US side, the first 48 hours of the ban’s implementation, including allowing passengers to use laptops up until boarding, have proceeded without customer complaints, according to the Emirates chief.

“So far, so good,” he said. “It’s still early days, we have to see what the next few months will bring us.”

* Bloomberg