US authorities introduced the ban on larger mobile devices being taken into the aircraft cabin on flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa earlier this week.

As a result, Emirates has introduced a handling service for laptops and tablets, which aims to minimise the impact of the US ban on its passengers.
 
Emirates’ passengers will be able to use these devices until just before they board their flights to the US.
 
They will then have to hand over their laptops, tablets and other banned electronic devices to security staff at the gate before boarding the US-bound aircraft.

The devices will be packed into boxes and loaded into the aircraft hold with customers picking them up when they arrive in the US.

Tim Clark, Emirates’ president, said: “Our aim is to ensure compliance with the new rules, while minimising disruption to passenger flow and impact on customer experience.

“Our new complimentary service enables passengers, particularly those flying for business, to have the flexibility to use their devices until the last possible moment.
 
“Once onboard they can still stay connected on their mobile phones. Our historical data shows that on Emirates’ US flights, 90% of passengers using our onboard mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity services do so via their smartphones.”