If you are like me, and find yourself booked on a flight that is now banned from allowing passengers to carry non-phone electronics on board, you are probably thinking “Great, 7 hours of staring at the reclined seat 5 inches in front of my face…” or something along those lines.
My initial thought was to just cancel the ticket and book the flight on an unbarred airline. And, based on the memo the airline sent out, it seems many people had the exact same idea. But, as the memo pointed out, that would mean incurring a flight change/cancellation fee. So, I prepared for an electronics free flight.
US guidance sent out to affected airlines stated that any electronic device larger than a cell phone would not be allowed in the cabin. However, as of the date of this article (April 2017), Royal Air Maroc does not allow any electronics in the cabin of a flight traveling to the US, unless it is a cell phone or medical device.
Resigned to my electronics free flight, and concerned about how my electronic devices would fare in my luggage, I opted to leave most of my devices at home. So, on my trip back to the US, the only things I had to check in my bag were my fitness tracker, outlet adapter, and phone charger.
Flying out of Casablanca to the US, I was asked at check in if I had any electronics in my carry-on bag. Even my headphones had to be checked. I was convinced they wouldn’t be a problem. Unclear of what would be deemed an “electronic”, I brought a cheap pair of headphones, but apparently they were not small enough. Only the ear bud headphones were allowed to be carried onboard.
At the gate, there was a station for additional checks of carry-on luggage. This is not unusual, as flights to the US typically require extra screening for liquids, etc. However, it did get a little interesting, as passengers coming in on connecting flights also had to be checked for electronics. And it seemed that not all passengers got the memo that electronics would not be allowed in the cabin. While waiting in line to board the plane, a man behind me was on his cellphone complaining about how they took his laptop and made him check it to his destination. Surprise! :-\
Those of us prepared for the electronics free flight displayed our levels of creativeness, while settling in to our seats, about how we would spend the next several hours; From carrying on a physical book (business at airport bookstores must be booming) to browsing through pre-loaded books/apps/music on one’s phone.
For those who had to surrender headphones, there is still the option of getting the free headphones passed out by flight attendants. They are not great, but they are better than nothing.
To my surprise, the airline headphones were collected 30 minutes prior to landing; so wrap up your viewings before then!
Suggestions for traveling with electronics:
- If it is important to you, consider leaving it at home. Electronics in luggage are not guaranteed to arrive undamaged or at all. After all, luggage gets lost, why not electronics?
- If you have to travel with electronics, you may want to look into luggage insurance, and ensure it includes a replacement clause for bag contents
- If it plugs into an outlet or runs on a chargeable battery, it will probably be considered an electronic and potentially liable for checking in bag
*Requirement only applies to flights coming to the US, not departing.