My experience with the 'travel ban': connecting on EK through DXB to USA
Mar 27, 2017, 4:04 am
#61
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,801
Looking good and once again, big props to EK for going to these lengths to minimize disruption. Just checked and as far as I can tell from EY and QR websites there is no such arrangement in place with them and pax must check in their electronics at port of origin.
Mar 27, 2017, 4:16 am
#62
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28091148-post80.html
Mar 27, 2017, 6:01 am
#63
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
EK's initiative certainly reduces or removes my hesitation for flying them back to the US. The real benefit is that I can now feel comfortable avoiding CDG transit on AF for an upcoming trip and take a better itinerary on EK.
Mar 27, 2017, 7:17 am
#64
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 27
Laptop Chargers?
Coming to you live somewhere over south-eastern Russia on the polar route to San Francisco...
Boarded EK377 for SFO today from gate A5 in biz class...scheduled 09:20 departure was wheels up at 10:20. I was pretty late getting to the gate (08:50) and took about 25 mins to go through the boxing process.
In addition to powering on the devices to be checked, there was also a residue swap of hands, clothes, mobile, shoes (removed) and checked devices. Afterwards they were boxed, labeled, seals put in place and a separate luggage tag issued for the box.
They told us the boxes would be returned to us as we deplaned...not at the baggage claim area. (Not sure how that work but will find out in 10 hrs.)
During the pre-departure cabin announcements, they again said that any over-size electronic devices on board had to turned over to a cabun attendant for placement in the hold and that there would be a "thorough" security screening of passengers (and their carry-ons) on arrival. I guess by CBP/TSA at the gate ala Singapore arrivals. We will see.
Boarded EK377 for SFO today from gate A5 in biz class...scheduled 09:20 departure was wheels up at 10:20. I was pretty late getting to the gate (08:50) and took about 25 mins to go through the boxing process.
In addition to powering on the devices to be checked, there was also a residue swap of hands, clothes, mobile, shoes (removed) and checked devices. Afterwards they were boxed, labeled, seals put in place and a separate luggage tag issued for the box.
They told us the boxes would be returned to us as we deplaned...not at the baggage claim area. (Not sure how that work but will find out in 10 hrs.)
During the pre-departure cabin announcements, they again said that any over-size electronic devices on board had to turned over to a cabun attendant for placement in the hold and that there would be a "thorough" security screening of passengers (and their carry-ons) on arrival. I guess by CBP/TSA at the gate ala Singapore arrivals. We will see.
Did you had to give up the laptop charger as well along with your laptop?
Mar 27, 2017, 8:24 am
#65
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA MM, AA EXP; OW Emerald, EK silver
Posts: 928
Sunday @ 16h30 GMT-4
* Landed at @ 16h20 (2h late)
* ground handler said white boxes with electronics would be delivered at oversize baggage and matched to claim tags. 3 people on hand to do this including airport manager for EK
* ground handling agent had the spreadsheet of boxes from DXB
* for those with a connecting flight, bag tags had the final destination on them as well
* first bags on belt at 16h38
* first boxes out at 16h36. Hand carried to oversized
* first stroller (and crew bags) out at 16h35
* matching gate check tag against box was insufficient. They wanted to check against manifest (which my agent didn't write down in DXB). So then I had to be added after the fact
* wanted to match my tag against this manifest in case of damage
* I encouraged them to put names facing the same way so it's easy to identify. And then grabbed my box (4th one out) and quickly insisted to check it. Had I not done this it would have been a pain as there was one person looking for bag tag numbers against 3 sheets.
* waited 3 mins for my bag after struggling with the box
* on the road at 16h44
so 25 min from landing to driving is pretty damn good (+ global entry and F tagged checked bag). But it easily could have taken another 20-25 min.
EK- if you're listening I have some thoughts on how to make this even better... PM me
* Landed at @ 16h20 (2h late)
* ground handler said white boxes with electronics would be delivered at oversize baggage and matched to claim tags. 3 people on hand to do this including airport manager for EK
* ground handling agent had the spreadsheet of boxes from DXB
* for those with a connecting flight, bag tags had the final destination on them as well
* first bags on belt at 16h38
* first boxes out at 16h36. Hand carried to oversized
* first stroller (and crew bags) out at 16h35
* matching gate check tag against box was insufficient. They wanted to check against manifest (which my agent didn't write down in DXB). So then I had to be added after the fact
* wanted to match my tag against this manifest in case of damage
* I encouraged them to put names facing the same way so it's easy to identify. And then grabbed my box (4th one out) and quickly insisted to check it. Had I not done this it would have been a pain as there was one person looking for bag tag numbers against 3 sheets.
* waited 3 mins for my bag after struggling with the box
* on the road at 16h44
so 25 min from landing to driving is pretty damn good (+ global entry and F tagged checked bag). But it easily could have taken another 20-25 min.
EK- if you're listening I have some thoughts on how to make this even better... PM me
Mar 27, 2017, 9:34 am
#66
Join Date: May 2010
Location: TPA
Programs: All The Programs
Posts: 2,204
During the pre-departure cabin announcements, they again said that any over-size electronic devices on board had to turned over to a cabun attendant for placement in the hold and that there would be a "thorough" security screening of passengers (and their carry-ons) on arrival. I guess by CBP/TSA at the gate ala Singapore arrivals. We will see.
What could CBP do to you after arrival in the US?
Mar 27, 2017, 10:33 am
#67
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere
Programs: AS MVP, EK Silver, Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 921
You're in constitutional limbo when you're in the arrivals hall, so the Bill of Rights, namely 4th Amendment protection against unreasonable search & seizure, doesn't necessarily apply there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception
Mar 27, 2017, 10:35 am
#68
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,615
Mar 27, 2017, 10:40 am
#69
Join Date: May 2010
Location: TPA
Programs: All The Programs
Posts: 2,204
You're in constitutional limbo when you're in the arrivals hall, so the Bill of Rights, namely 4th Amendment protection against unreasonable search & seizure, doesn't necessarily apply there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception
So are you suggesting that CBP can seize your laptop and not return it on the grounds of having it in the pax cabin? This is a DHS policy, though, and not a law. I don't see how that can be legal.
I'm not a lawyer and am genuinely interested in the answer here. Other than reading the riot act ... what can they actually do to a passenger for failing to report their laptop to a foreign airline...?
Mar 27, 2017, 11:50 am
#70
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
I was not searched by anyone after de-planing in ORD, even though we were warned onboard that we would be. Nothing was different state-side whatsoever.
My white box was waiting at baggage claim, and came out before my F-tagged bag.
My white box was waiting at baggage claim, and came out before my F-tagged bag.
Mar 27, 2017, 4:08 pm
#72
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 27
Did you have to do anything different before claiming the laptop white box?
Mar 27, 2017, 4:10 pm
#73
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: London
Programs: HertzPresCircle, Virgin Atlantic Gold,Hil-Diam, Europcar Elite Vip, Emirates Gold, MarriottTitanium.
Posts: 419
So basically lots of people are gonna try to hide their ipad under their shirt/pants because they don't want to fly without it...?
Mar 27, 2017, 4:43 pm
#74
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
TBH my fiance went to go get the box while I got the bags so I can't say for certain, but she did not mention anything. She said there was 1 agent cross-referencing the bag tags with every single box, and that it was very inefficient. Didn't mention anything else.
Mar 27, 2017, 7:06 pm
#75
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Dubai
Programs: Emirates Skywards Gold, Qatar Airways
Posts: 25
Good to see this process in action. I flew EK215 DXB - LAX on 25th and saw no evidence of any of this, either at the gate in DXB nor at baggage claim in LAX. I'd already packed my laptop and iPad into my checked baggage expecting the first day to be chaotic...