Emirates Joins Etihad, Qatar in US cabin laptop ban workaround

Emirates airline said Wednesday it would start lending first and business class passengers tablets in response to the US ban on most personal electronic devices from passenger cabins of US-bound flights. March 25 the US banned electronic devices larger than a mobile phone from cabins on direct flights to the US from 10 airports in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, including the United Arab Emirates. Emirates is introducing the service to mitigate the inconvenience of the ban on passengers, the airline said. The service started Wednesday. The decision follows similar measures introduced last week by Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, which are also affected by the ban. Industry experts have warned the ban could push premium business and first class travellers to carriers not affected by the ban. <br/>