No laptop? Try talking: Arab airlines have the answer to electronics ban
A new US and UK ban on bringing electronic devices larger than cellphones into the cabin on flights from the Middle East is due to begin on Saturday.
The new rule means that on flights from 10 Muslim-majority countries, such devices will have to be placed in the hold in checked baggage. If you want to see how this ban might affect you, you can read more here.
In the ban's wake, people took to social media to ridicule it and to highlight the illogical nature of the new rules.
Many affected airlines have also issued sarcastic responses to the ban.
Royal Jordanian airlines posted a list of "12 things to do on a 12-hour flight with no laptop or tablet" telling passengers to βEngage in primitive dialogue from the pre-internet era", among other suggestions.
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And the airline followed up with an anecdote about Jordanians and a habit they all seem to share: staring.
Some simply used the ban as a way to plug their entertainment systems...
Emirates also released an advert, "let us entertain you" turning the controversial ban into what proved to be a successful publicity opportunity.
In an apparent ironic nod to President Trump's election slogan, Etihad Airways revealed its plan to #MakeFlyingGreatAgain
And Royal Jordanian even wrote a poem for the occasion
People seemed to love the airlines "trolling" the US and UK ban
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