Qatar airlines will offer laptops for free on board
Qatar Airways passengers flying Business Class to the US will be able to borrow laptops free of charge from the airline starting next week.
The move is to help premium passengers get around the new electronics ban onboard US-bound flights from Doha.
The restrictions came into effect last week, and include a ban on all electronics larger than a cellphone onboard flights from 10 cities, including Doha.
The policy has prompted questions about whether the US government is deliberately trying to hurt the competitiveness of Gulf carriers.
Some analysts have suggested these airlines may lose some of their lucrative business passenger segment to US carriers unaffected by the ban.
Starting next week, all passengers flying with Qatar Airways to the US will be able to use their tablets and laptops until just before their board their aircraft.
These items will then be collected, tagged and packaged “securely,” according to the airline. They will then be “returned safely” to customers upon arrival in the US.
Additionally, the airline said Business Class passengers will be invited to download any important files to a USB storage device before borrowing an airline laptop.
This will allow them to “pick up where they left off” during the flight.
However, economy passengers will not be able to take advantage of the laptop loan service.
Source: dohanews.co