Great news for those that fly to the US (or connect!) from the Middle East. The laptop ban is over on all Middle East carriers except Saudia – and even they expect to be ban-free on July 19th.
In March, the laptop ban was announced suddenly and meant that anyone on a direct flight to the US from the following airports:
Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), in Amman, JordanCairo International Airport (CAI), in Cairo, EgyptKing Abdul-Aziz International Airport (JED), in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia- King Khalid International Airport (RUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Kuwait International Airport (KWI), Farwaniya, KuwaitMohammed V Airport (CMN), Casablanca, MoroccoAtaturk International Airport (IST), in Istabul, TurkeyHamad International Airport (DOH), Doha, QatarDubai International Airport (DXB), Dubai, United Arab EmiratesAbu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Over the last couple of weeks, the ban has been lifted airport by airport as those airports agreed to comply with enhanced security protocols.
As you can see from my list of airports crossed off the list above, only Saudia remains (and it’s not an airline heavily used on frequent flyer miles).
This is great news for miles addict (like us!) because these carriers offer some fantastic connections from the US to beyond the Middle East. Of particular note, Etihad is known for their “Apartment” which is a premium 1st class, shower included, that can be booked with a slew of frequent flyer program’s miles. Qatar Airways also recently introduced their Q-Suites product which is said to be the best Business Class in the sky now. You can book Qatar flights using American Airlines miles, or, if you have them, just 85,000 JAL miles.
Has the #laptopban impacted you? Let me know in the comments below or in the MilesTalk Facebook group.
