Laptop ban means your gadgets are uninsured and could be confiscated

If laptops are not placed in hold luggage and are taken to airport security they may be confiscated - 2005 AFP
If laptops are not placed in hold luggage and are taken to airport security they may be confiscated - 2005 AFP

Thousands of travellers are thought to be flying with electrical items that are uninsured, following a ban on carrying laptops on flights from the Middle East.

Security concerns have led to electrical items bigger than a standard smartphone being banned from cabins for passengers flying into Britain from six countries in north Africa and the Middle East.

Anyone flying from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia will now have to put their electronic devices in their hold luggage, making them exempt from travel insurance policies.

The ban has taken effect immediately and must be implemented by Saturday, meaning that some passengers might only find out about it as they travel through security at affected airports. These passengers will believe their equipment is insured against the risk of theft or damage, when it is not.

Laptops can no longer pass through airport security when flying to the UK from six countries in the Middle East - Credit: © 2014 Bloomberg Finance LP/Bloomberg
Laptops can no longer pass through airport security when flying to the UK from six countries in the Middle East Credit: © 2014 Bloomberg Finance LP/Bloomberg

“One of the main problems for passengers who are forced to check electronic equipment into their hold baggage is security from theft while they are in the baggage handling system,” said Nick Trend, Telegraph Travel’s consumer advice expert.

“A laptop could easily be worth over £1,000; an iPad £500. Most travel insurance policies will not cover articles which cost so much - especially if they are checked into hold baggage. There is also, of course, the risk of damage from shock while a suitcase is being loaded and unloaded from the plane and baggage belts. Again, insurance will not usually cover such damage.”

Research by Which? magazine found that five major travel insurance companies - Aviva, Axa, Churchill, Direct Line and LV - did not cover valuables placed in the hold for loss, theft or damage.

International airports affected by UK electronics ban

Columbus, another travel insurer, told Telegraph Travel that “many electrical items are defined as valuables on travel insurance policies and would generally be excluded if they were in checked-in luggage”.

Stuart Lloyd, commercial manager of Collinson Group, the parent company of Columbus Direct, said: “Additionally, the items that are subject to the cabin baggage ban will generally be defined as gadgets and excluded from cover anyway unless an additional premium is paid. But even if the additional premium is paid, the exclusion around being in checked-in luggage would still apply.”

He said that home contents policies, which include cover when the items are taken outside the UK, are less likely to have this type of restriction.

Fliers would have to resort to the in-flight entertainment with their devices in hold - Credit: 2009 EyesWideOpen/EyesWideOpen
Fliers would have to resort to the in-flight entertainment with their devices in hold Credit: 2009 EyesWideOpen/EyesWideOpen

He advised that air passengers carefully review restrictions under the baggage section of their policies but added “the entire travel insurance industry, including us, is now looking to understand the short and long term impact of these changes in order to review their underwriting policy accordingly”.

A spokesman for AXA recommended that air passengers affected by the ban buy personal possessions cover from Trov, an insurance company it underwrites. “Trov provides personal possessions cover, allowing customers to protect their items outside the home, anywhere in the world," he said, "as long as they take reasonable precautions to protect their valuables.

"For customers who place their electronics in the hold, Trov will still cover their items and no exclusion will apply."

British Airways said that it is contacting customers due to travel on affected flights to warn them about falling foul of the ban. A spokesman added that staff will also be reminding customers at check in.

Laptop ban: advice for travellers

There is still a chance though that those who pack incorrectly and take larger electronic devices with them to security will have them confiscated.

When this happens, airlines are currently unable to clarify whether or not airport staff in the Middle East will be able to send the items back to passengers in the hold of the same flight or a later one.

Passengers returning from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia in the next few days should expect delays at check-in desks and at security while airline staff explain the new rules.

“The immediate priority must be making sure travellers are aware of the new rules and are advised to pack their bags correctly, to help minimise disruption through security and protect their items from confiscation,”  an ABTA spokesman said.

“Passengers travelling to the countries affected may wish to consider leaving their electronic devices at home, although this may be difficult for many, especially business travellers and families travelling with children.”

He added that, “while passengers may be frustrated by the rules it is important to remember that the regulations have been introduced for their safety and security”.

Of the airports included in the ban, the one used most by Britons is Istanbul, which received 1.79 million Britons last year. Turkey’s Antalya, Dalaman and Bodrum airports also see tens of thousands of Britons pass through them each year however, with a total of 4,616,564 British travellers flying to and from Turkey in 2016.

Egypt welcomed 614,637 Britons to its airports last year, Lebanon 272,066  and Jordan 212,232, according to figures from the CAA.

The world mapped according to terror threat

Updated travel advice from the Foreign Office for the six countries included in the ban, states: “There is a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation. The threat is constantly evolving and we must respond accordingly.”

It said it has consequently decided to implement “additional security measures for direct flights departing to the UK in the coming days and no later than 25th March.”

“You should co-operate fully with security officials,” its advice for Egypt states. “If you need more information about how this may affect your flight, contact your airline or travel company.”