TRAVELERS HIT DEVICE DOLDRUMS

US and UK government bans affect only Middle Eastern airlines, for now; people can still carry their smartphones into airline cabins

As the indignities of modern air travel go, the latest ban on laptops and tablets on some international flights falls somewhere between having to take off your ratty shoes at the security checkpoint and having your baby food and milk tested for any bomb residue.

It’s yet another inconvenience in the name of security for weary travelers, especially those from or passing through the 10 mostly Middle Eastern and North African countries covered by new US and British policies.

While it’s not quite as disruptive as an outright ban on smartphones — much less a travel ban based on nationality — the laptop limitation loomed large for some people as they prepared to travel.

“Why are only Middle Eastern airlines subject to this ban?” asked Kelsey Norman, a doctoral student who plans to fly home Friday to Los Angeles from Beirut — and expects to have to check her laptop, a Kindle tablet and her DSLR camera. “Overall this policy is inconvenient, discriminatory, and continues to hurt America’s rapidly deteriorating reputation globally.”

The US Department of Homeland Security rules forbid lap- top computers, tablets, Kindles, some gaming devices, cameras and other electronics larger than a smartphone in carry-on baggage. The US government cited unspecified threats as the reason for the ban. The UK government instituted a similar ban; neither government’s restrictions affect US-based airlines.

On the positive side, items people can still carry into the airline cabin include smartphones, overstuffed duffel bags, winter coats, tiny bottles of hand lotion, Tupperware containers full of tuna salad, earplugs, nose hair trimmers, and babies.

For now, at least — tomorrow could bring a new unspecified threat and with it a new ban.

Other travelers, especially of the dutiful business variety, worried that laptops in checked bags could be stolen, damaged or compromised — and that in the meantime, they wouldn’t be able to get any work done. Some tried rerouting flights to avoid the affected airports, but this is not easy.

What to do?

If you’re someone who insists on working, it’s possible to import documents into Google Docs and thumb away on your smartphone’s keyboard, at least so long as you remember to save them to your phone before you take off.

But features can be limited with some apps; Microsoft’s Office app, for instance, only lets you open one document at a time.

Catching up on email or cleaning out your inbox could be another way to pass time without your laptop, especially if you shell out for in-flight Wi-Fi.

If you can resist the urge to work, you can download shows from Netflix or Amazon onto your phone for offline viewing — though again, you have to remember to do this before your flight.

And you might want to stick with comedies or TV shows rather than epics designed for big screens. /