Emirates Services: Tablets and laptops available on flights to the United States
Emirates has launched 2 services for passengers flying to the United States: renting mobile devices on board the aircraft and packing personal laptops before boarding.
In March, US officials have banned the transportation of tablets and laptops aboard aircraft from eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
Also on the list of targeted companies is Emirates, one of the largest airlines worldwide. To alleviate the discomfort created by passengers, Emirates has decided to offer mobile devices (tablets and laptops) for First Class and Business Class passengers.
Emirates offers tablets and laptops for rent
This is the company's response to US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) decisions. Passengers on Emirates flights will have Microsoft Surface tablets with Microsoft Office 2016. Those who wish to continue their business activities can do so by plane. The service is free and available on all flights from Dubai to destinations in the United States.
At the same time, Emirates has launched a free service for handling laptops and tablets for its passengers on flights to the United States. They can use their own laptops and tablets until close to boarding the flight to the US. The laptops will be handed over at the boarding gate, and Emirates staff will pack them, label them and transport them to the hold of the plane. Upon arrival in the US, passengers will recover their laptops.
To date, almost 8000 passengers have been using Emirates services (the ones mentioned above) on 112 direct flights from / to Dubai and US cities. Emirates received positive feedback from customers.
The TSA Directive does not apply to flights to the US via Milan (EK205) and Athens (EK209).