Airplanes and carrying laptop ?

[etech]

I don't travel that much but will be making a couple of trips in the next two weeks.

Is it better to carry a laptop with you on the plane or put it in the suitcase and check it through? I'll have an overnight bag to carry on the plane and would prefer to have the laptop in the suitcase but will carry it and the bag if I need to.


I know you can't lock suitcases anymore and it makes me a little concerned to put the laptop in an unlocked suitcase.

 

[loup garou]

DO NOT CHECK IT. Carry it on and make sure you have it ready to take out at the security checkpoint. DO NOT EVER CHECK VALUABLES.

 

[ultimatebob]

Yeah, keep it with you. The baggage check people will probably make you turn it on to prove that it's really a laptop, though.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Yeah, keep it with you. The baggage check people will probably make you turn it on to prove that it's really a laptop, though.

No, you don't have to do that anymore. You just have to remove it from your carryon and run it through the xray separately.

 

[etech]

Ok, thanks guys, I'll carry the heavy thing.

I hope I don't have to turn it on, the battery is just about gone and I don't have time to charge it.

BTW, some hotels now have free high speed internet access. Worth looking for.

 

[kami333]

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Yeah, keep it with you. The baggage check people will probably make you turn it on to prove that it's really a laptop, though.

No, you don't have to do that anymore. You just have to remove it from your carryon and run it through the xray separately.

It depends on the airport, some have since before 9-11 and still do.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Yeah, keep it with you. The baggage check people will probably make you turn it on to prove that it's really a laptop, though.

No, you don't have to do that anymore. You just have to remove it from your carryon and run it through the xray separately.

It depends on the airport, some have since before 9-11 and still do.

Maybe between 9/11 and when TSA was put in charge, but current standard TSA procedure is only to pass it through X-Ray.

 

[her209]

When you turn it on, don't open up the files that contain the blueprints of airport as well as teh airplane.

 

[NetWareHead]

Won't the x-ray machine blank out the hard disk or damage something on the inside?

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: NetWareHead
Won't the x-ray machine blank out the hard disk or damage something on the inside?

No.

 

[BennyD]

Originally posted by: her209
When you turn it on, don't open up the files that contain the blueprints of airport as well as teh airplane.

and you'd better hide "where_to_put_the_bomb.jpg" and "how_to_make_a_weapon_out_of_straws.txt"

 

[vegetation]

You cannot have your laptop hand inspected (i.e. turning it on). That's about one of the smartest security line moves they have made, frankly. It was just so easy to gut out a large laptop, reinstall smaller electronics from a crappy 486 system, then hide a bomb in it in the remaining space. I had big concerns about this all pre 9/11.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: NetWareHead
Won't the x-ray machine blank out the hard disk or damage something on the inside?

any damage that ever occured to a laptop was not from the xrays but from the magnets of the motors that drove the conveyor belt.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Yeah, keep it with you. The baggage check people will probably make you turn it on to prove that it's really a laptop, though.

No, you don't have to do that anymore. You just have to remove it from your carryon and run it through the xray separately.

It depends on the airport, some have since before 9-11 and still do.

Maybe between 9/11 and when TSA was put in charge, but current standard TSA procedure is only to pass it through X-Ray.

I have traveled extensivly this summer.
I have seen them go through without needing to be turned on, and some agents making someone turn it on.
I had to turn on my new phone, even though they xrayed it.
I believe that TSA allows agents quite a bit of latitiude in determining procedure.
Worst experiences have been Newark,NJ and Las Vegas,NV.
Good luck....

 

[beyonddc]

I carried my laptop over HK last Christmas, what they did to me was a checkpoint security guard person asked me to remove my laptop from my bag and use some kind of chemical to wipe over my top and bottom of my laptop to see if there's any explosure material in it.

my checkpoint was in Boston and Chicago.

that's about it...

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: BennyD

Originally posted by: her209
When you turn it on, don't open up the files that contain the blueprints of airport as well as teh airplane.

and you'd better hide "where_to_put_the_bomb.jpg" and "how_to_make_a_weapon_out_of_straws.txt"

dont forget the "howtodriveaplanestraight.txt" one

 

[boyRacer]

They made us turn it on in front of them at LAX, SF, and Tokyo, ... but that was it. no biggie.

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: werk

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Yeah, keep it with you. The baggage check people will probably make you turn it on to prove that it's really a laptop, though.

No, you don't have to do that anymore. You just have to remove it from your carryon and run it through the xray separately.

It depends on the airport, some have since before 9-11 and still do.

Maybe between 9/11 and when TSA was put in charge, but current standard TSA procedure is only to pass it through X-Ray.

I have traveled extensivly this summer.
I have seen them go through without needing to be turned on, and some agents making someone turn it on.
I had to turn on my new phone, even though they xrayed it.
I believe that TSA allows agents quite a bit of latitiude in determining procedure.
Worst experiences have been Newark,NJ and Las Vegas,NV.
Good luck....

they made you strip to your undies too?:Q