Techies upset, airlines implement gadget ban
The authorities could perhaps ease the ban on transit points.
Bengaluru: Following the on-flight gadget ban introduced by the US and UK in flights originating from the Middle Eastern countries for fear of a terrorist attack, flights taking off from these countries will have to adhere to the rules, said Srirupa Sen, spokesperson for Jet Airways.
“As of now, whichever flight flies to these countries from Jet, they will comply with the rules,” she added. Air Asia that received clearance recently to ply flights to Hawaii in the US, echoed similar sentiments while Air India refused to comment. Techies flying to the US and the UK will face inconvenience, said Rajarshi Ghosh, a city-based techie. “Most people don’t work on flights. For some of us that do, it is a problem. Business trips are frequent and on the go. So the flight is the only time when we get to prepare for the upcoming projects.”
The authorities could perhaps ease the ban on transit points, said J. George, an employee at IBM. “I don’t think it is a severe inconvenience to ban the on flight usage, but perhaps they could at least allow us to carry it so that it can be used during the long hours in transit,” he added.
“The ban may mean better business opportunities for Indian airlines that fly abroad. If they could operate direct flights to these countries, it would be well received, at least from the tech community,” George said. The ban is not applicable to return flights from the US.