Qatar Airways to offer free laptops on US flights as solution to electronics ban

Qatar Airways have announced that they will introduce a “laptop loan” for flights to the US as a solution to the electronics ban.

 

Starting next week, Qatar Airways will offer Business and First Class passengers a free laptop loan during their flight to the US.

 

The news comes after the US banned passengers from carrying electronic devices on direct flights to the US from eight Muslim-majority countries.

 

In a statement, the Doha-based carrier said it has purchased a series of laptops to loan to customers travelling with them to the US. Passengers can use their devices right up until they arrive at the boarding gate at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Here, they can transfer their data onto a USB drive before collecting one of the replacement laptops.

 

Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al-Baker, said: “by providing this laptop loan service we can ensure that our passengers on flights to the US can continue to work whilst on board.”

 

A similar service is being proposed by fellow Gulf carriers, Emirates and Etihad Airways, who are also affected by the US ban.