US and UK in-cabin laptop ban
The US and UK announce bans on in-cabin devices on flights out of 10 Middle Eastern countries.
In the last 24 hours, both the US and UK Government's have issued strict new restrictions on the use of various devices for those travelling out of the Middle East.
The ban stops passengers from bringing large phones, laptops and tablets into the cabin on flights out of a total of 10 countries across the Middle East.
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The US ban affects 10 airports in eight countries, including one of the world's major travel hubs, Dubai. It also impacts nine airlines.
The UK ban, while only affecting those travelling from six countries, will have an impact on at least 14 airlines.
The countries affected by the bans for both the US and US are below:
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According to the UK Department of Transport, the new arrangements mean that passengers boarding flights from countries on the ban list to the UK will not be permitted to take devices aboard that are larger than the following specifications:
- Length: 16.0cm
- Width: 9.3cm
- Depth: 1.5cm
Devices that are not allowed in the cabin include all laptops, all tablets and e-readers and large phones. The UK Department of Transport has provided a useful list of what is considered to be a "normal sized phone" to help passengers, which includes:
- iPhone 7 Plus
- LG G3
- Samsung Galaxy Note 3
- Samsung Galaxy 7 Edge
- Sony Xperia Z2
The US Department of Homeland Security provided a more extensive list of types of devices not permitted to be carried into the cabin, although did not offer a guide or maximum size specifications. The devices that are not allowed to be carried aboard flights to the US include:
- E-Readers
- Cameras
- Electronic game units larger than a smartphone
- Laptops
- Portable DVD players
- Tablets
- Travel printers/scanners
These bans do not impact on any domestic flights in the United States or the United Kingdom or for flights departing therefrom.
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