Update 3/20/2017 4:20pm: When reached by TPG, a State Department official referred us to the Department of Homeland Security for any comment or information. DHS responded to our inquiry with the following statement: “We’re not able to provide more details at this time. We have no comment on potential security precautions, but will provide an update when appropriate.“Update 3/20/2017: It appears that more Middle Eastern and African airlines will be affected by these regulations, but details are extremely limited at this point:In a tweet this afternoon, Oneworld carrier Royal Jordanian dropped some big news — passengers flying on any of the carrier’s flights to/from the US (including the carrier’s Detroit [DTW] - Montreal [YUL] - Amman [AMM] flight) will be required to check most electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players and gaming devices. However, mobile phones and medical devices necessary during flight are exempt from the ban, which goes into effect tomorrow (March 21).Here’s the text of the full announcement:Currently, this is the only information we have on this new rule — Royal Jordanian’s website hasn’t provided any additional information, and there’s no formal announcement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or any other government agency. In fact, Royal Jordanian’s website still tells passengers to carry-on some of the banned items:Portable Electronic Devices including medical devices containing batteries such as (POC, cameras, mobile phones, laptops, tablets and power banks) should be carried in carry-on baggage.Based on the only response from Royal Jordanian’s Twitter account, it doesn’t seem that the airline will be waiving change or cancellation fees for this policy change:As this will affect American Airlines codeshare flights operated by Royal Jordanian, we checked with AA to see if it has any more information regarding the ban. An AA spokesperson noted that the airline is still working to gather information, however, it’s “been told this does not apply to any flights operated by American Airlines.“Bottom LineThis announcement leaves a lot of unanswered questions. However, as the electronics ban goes into effect tomorrow, it’s best that you’re aware of the sudden changes if you have any upcoming travel booked with Royal Jordanian. Stay tuned for updates as this story continues to develop.Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.
