Etihad to lend US-bound passengers iPads as ban workaround

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – One Mideast airline affected by the ban on most electronics in the cabins of U.S.-bound flights will lend iPads to its top-paying travellers.

Etihad Airways said on Wednesday that it will offer the tablets to U.S.-bound passengers in first and business class, along with vouchers for free onboard Wi-Fi starting on April 2.

The U.S. government last week barred passengers from 10 Mideast and North African cities from carrying electronics larger than cellphones onto U.S.-bound flights. Medical devices were exempted.

Etihad’s hub in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, was among the cities affected. The government-owned carrier operates 45 flights a week to six American cities: Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington.