While the United States and the United Kingdom have banned electronic devices on flights from eight countries (most of them from the Middle East), airlines turned the ban into a marketing opportunity.
PIA cashes in on US electronics ban on Middle East airlines
Emirates asked the questions "Who needs tablets and laptops anyway?" and mentioned their great in-flight entertainment.
Let us entertain you. pic.twitter.com/FKqayqUdQ7
— Emirates (@emirates) March 21, 2017
Turkish Airlines tweeted about their "2 billion minutes of entertainment on air", and promised a service that will have their passengers walking on air!
2 Billion minutes of entertainment on air 😲 #TurkishAirlines pic.twitter.com/2RnfZDqUWT
— Turkish Airlines (@TurkishAirlines) March 21, 2017
Etihad Airways took a jibe at Donald Trump's campaign slogan, as they tweeted "Make Flying Great Again", reminding passengers of the airline's in-flight entertainment, great food and nanny services.
Make Flying Great Again. https://t.co/iFiJx6y0ID#MakeFlyingGreatAgain #ElectronicsBan
— Etihad Airways (@etihad) March 23, 2017
Qatar Airways reassured passengers by tweeting about their 3,000 channels of in-flight entertainment.
With over 3,000 channels to choose from, Oryx One is the only entertainment you'll need on board #OryxOne pic.twitter.com/9kun66qh4v
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) March 22, 2017
Morocco's Royal Air Maroc urged people to "Relax and watch a flick" because "who really needs laptops and tablets?"
Who really needs laptops and tablets? #ElectronicsBan pic.twitter.com/5SXO3aq2RW
— Royal Air Maroc (@RAM_Maroc) March 24, 2017
Saudi Arabian Airlines chimed in with this tweet
Forget about your laptop & take a break with 1500 hours of entertainment or bring your USB and watch own entertainment, simply Plug and Play pic.twitter.com/3aE1P9ezqr
— السعودية (@Saudi_Airlines) March 24, 2017
But it was Royal Jordanian Airlines' series of cheeky tweets that made an impact.
In their first tweet, they listed down activities that passengers could indulge in, including engaging in primitive dialogue, analysing the meaning of life and reclaiming territory on the armrest.
#electronicsban 🚫 pic.twitter.com/U3S7sdkipy
— Royal Jordanian (@RoyalJordanian) March 23, 2017
But it didn't stop there! They urged passengers to do what Jordanians did best.
👨🏻💻⛔👩🏻💻🇯🇴 #electronicsban pic.twitter.com/3csTSEePg7
— Royal Jordanian (@RoyalJordanian) March 23, 2017
They even wrote a short poem,
Stay tuned for more fun…..we have just begun #electronicban pic.twitter.com/VZz70tD67V
— Royal Jordanian (@RoyalJordanian) March 22, 2017
Royal Jordanian's tongue-in-cheek humour isn't new. When the US imposed travel restrictions in February, they tweeted the following picture and mentioned the US president by name
✈ 🇺🇸 ✅ #DonaldTrump #MuslimBan pic.twitter.com/rptY3dS3Xh
— Royal Jordanian (@RoyalJordanian) February 5, 2017
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