Emirates Finds a Way Around the US Ban on Laptops and Tablets

Emirates will introduce a new service to enable customers to use their laptops and tablet devices until just before they board their flights to the US.

Emirates customers travelling to the US via Dubai will be able to utilise their laptops and tablet devices on the first part of their journeys, and also during transit in Dubai.

They must then declare and hand over their laptops, tablets, and other banned electronic devices to security staff at the gate just before boarding their US-bound flight. The devices will be carefully packed into boxes, loaded into the aircraft hold, and returned to the customer at their US destination. There will not be any charge for this service.

Passengers on US-bound flights starting their journeys in Dubai are encouraged to pack their electronic devices into their check-in luggage in the first instance, to avoid delays.

Customers should be aware that there will be a detailed search of all hand baggage on non-stop flights to the US from Dubai. They should therefore declare their devices before the search, or ensure their electronic devices are packed into their check-in luggage in the first instance.

Emirates said that it will deploy extra staff at the airport to ease and assist passengers, especially in the first days of the new rules being implemented.

From Saturday, 25 March, travellers on non-stop flights to the US from Dubai International airport (DXB) will not be allowed to carry any electronic device larger than a cell phone or smartphone, excluding medical devices, into the aircraft cabin. Travellers must pack these electronic devices in their checked-in baggage.

This new security directive, issued by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), applies to all passengers travelling on non-stop flights to the US from Dubai, including those in transit. It does not apply to passengers travelling on Emirates’ US-bound flights via Milan and Athens, or Emirates flights to/from any other destination.


  • Lol saudia kay wazir e kharja ka trump ko musalmano ka dost kehnai wala biyan b kaam na aya , hawwww yeh gulf kay arbi american doggy banai mien fakhar mahsoos kertai haien

  • Couldn’t a terrorist, you know, hop a flight to somewhere in Europe and then to the US? This seems like a pretty half-baked idea, but then we shouldn’t be surprised given that it’s the TSA.

    • Flights from UAE, Qatar can carry all these devices provided airline is not Emirates or Eithad. Clearly ban is to blow business of top three airlines of GCC which are giving hard time to airlines in US.


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