More than a third of travellers would reconsider their flights if forced to put their electronics in the hold as industry insiders warn it could be rolled out globally.
Holiday Extras found that the suggestion of the so-called ‘laptop ban’ – first introduced by the US and again with slightly different rules on UK-bound flights – might encourage passengers to go to non-affected countries.
Of 3,500 holidaymakers polled, 35% said they’d reconsider their flights if faced with having to put their electronics in the hold.
And with industry experts warning that the ban on larger electronic devices could go global, almost one in five people (18%) said they would fear for the safety of their belongings in the hold. And 17% said they couldn’t be parted from their devices during their journey.
The survey also suggested tablets are the nation’s most treasured tech, with 34 per cent of people naming it as the gadget they’d have most trouble checking in. Kindles were second, with 19% – and twice as many women than men – taking them abroad.
Ant Clarke-Cowell, communications director at Holiday Extras, said: “Whether they’re used to update social statuses, translate local languages or plan our journeys, electronic devices are a huge part of modern travel. According to our survey, two thirds of Brits now pack a gadget to help them travel better, with women being more likely to take them than men.
“Considering how much easier or enjoyable such items can make our journeys, and how fragile and expensive they can be, it’s easy to see why the restrictions have sparked so much debate and caution among passengers. However, we’d hate to see this stopping people from flying to the affected destinations and we were surprised to see just how many people were considering this move in our poll.”
HolidayExtras.com was among the insurance firms to move to extend their policies to cover laptops in the hold after the introduction of the ban to passengers travelling on selected inbound UK flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia.