Royal Jordanian bans electronic devices on all flights to the United States

Royal Jordanian has announced today that, starting Tuesday 21 March 2017, it will no longer allow passengers to carry any electronic or electrical device in the aircraft cabin on its flights to and from the United States.

Passengers will only be allowed to carry cellular phones and any medical device needed during the flight. Any other electronic or electrical device such as laptops or tablets will have to be carried in the checked baggage.

The new policy was stated on the company’s Twitter account Monday afternoon and takes effect on Tuesday. And it is absolutely bizarre.

The company cites “instructions from the concerned US departments” as driving the move, one which excludes only cell phones and medical devices needed during the flight. Laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players and electronic games are explicitly listed as items to be “carried in the checked baggage only.”

Here is the full statement as published by Royal Jordanian:

Following instructions from the concerned US departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited.

 

Cellular phones and medical devices needed during the flight are excluded from the ban.

Prohibited devices, including for instance laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players and electronic games…etc, can be carried in the checked baggage only.

 

This announcement is effective starting with March 21, 2017, and the instructions will be applied on the New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal flights, the last two destinations served by a combined flight.

Thank you for your understanding. We wish you pleasant flights on board RJ.

The first flight affected by this policy will be RJ261 the flight to New York’s JFK airport on Tuesday leaving Amman at 10:05a local time. So passengers will have only 15 hours to adjust to the new rules.

Source: Wandering Aramean – http://blog.wandr.me/ and RJ Twitter

20 March 2017