Bringing My Laptop on The Plane/Will Security Damage it?

[KBFinFan]

Going on a little family trip tomorrow, Walt Disney World , and I was planning to bring along my laptop. However, I have heard that sometimes the screeing people go just shy of dropping the computers on the ground and dancing on them.

Are the security people that awful when it comes to screening laptops, that I should not even bother bringing my computer?

I have free high speed in the hotel, not to mention how I'd like to use the laptop for downloading pictures from my camera, general poking around on the plane, etc.

But, I'd rather not if the likelihood of my expensive piece of computing hardware is just going to be scratched, trashed, and generally harmed. (BTW.. it's a Powerbook (Mac) and is made of aluminum.. so it's kind of prone to scratches especially when just carelessly being thrown around)

Thanks as always everyone!

 

[MickeyMac]

I have a PB15 and traveled with it out of MHT once. I put it in the bucket (alone) and picked it up out of the bucket myself afterwards. Security never handled it.

We fly often with my son's Vaio, and that's never been handled outside of us, either. My son is more likely to drop it. From now on, we will only travel with the PB.

After it goes through the scanner, we slip them right back inside their respective cases.

I know what you mean about the scratches, although the plastic Vaio is more likely to get them than the sleek case of my new PB. I was thinking of putting a sheet of clear adhesive to the outside of it, just to protect it.

 

[Eeyore1954]

I travel on business a lot with a laptop and never observed the security people handling my laptop. Put it in the plastic bin, put it on the conveyor and pick it up at the other end with the rest of your stuff. No need to worry.

 

[NotUrsula]

You will have to take it out of your bag and put it in one of the plastic bins to go through security, and if there were something odd-looking about it on the x-ray, they might ask you to power it up to prove that it's a real working laptop, but 99 times out of 100, they won't touch it.

One thing to be careful of w/ laptops, however, is to make sure that once you're on the other side, that the one you pick up is actually yours. An amazing number of people grab the wrong one off the belt, which, as you can imagine, can cause immense hassles while you try to find the right other owner to switch. Also, people in a hurry will sometimes grab their bags but forget the laptop isn't in the bag, and TSA has no name on the outside to page you. So, best idea, put a label with your name and phone number on the outside of the laptop case, preferably in plain sight, and easily readable. If you want it to look pretty, you can get a nice nameplate engraved, and cement that on. The company I work for lost enough of them that they had engraved nameplates made up with the company name, those have a slot for the employee's business card.

 

[KBFinFan]

Thanks everyone! I feel a little better now.

The 15" PB is what I have too MickeyMac, my first Mac and certainly not my last... the best computer I have ever owned!

 

[MickeyMac]

Great to hear that, KB. I've been using macs since they came out. This is perhaps the best one I've ever owned too. I'm amazed at what I'm able to do with it (I'm a web/graphic designer) I bought the Vaio before to travel with (and because of frustrations on the road with getting client files to read on my platform) but had so many problems with it it was ridiculous. It's my son's now, so he gets to deal with it. Glad to hear you're really enjoying it!

 

[safetymom]

I agree with the others. I travel quite often and have never seen the security people handle it. Several years ago they swapped it for explosives but handled it very carefully.

 

[ducklite]

Ours seem to get swabbed every time--I think it's because DH and I both travel with them, but generally pack them into one bag for carrying.

Anne

 

[denisenh]

As a poster stated above, be sure that you take your lap top out of the case without having to be asked.
We took ours along on our last trip, and DH had charge of it, along with the usual stuff, shoes, belt, and such....he knows what needs to be taken off at this point....well....he didn't take the lap top out of the case and a situation was made of it. The agent pointed to the sign, and gave DH a bit of grief. It was more than "you need to remove the laptop from the case" in other words.
It wasn't damaged by them though.

 

[inkkognito]

No problems traveling with my laptop. I put it into a bin, my husband puts his into a bin, they go through the x-ray, we grab 'em, and we're all done. Getting onto a Disney Cruise Line ship is more of a challenge, as Security makes you boot the PC up. That always takes forever, and then I have to shut it back down. I've never been asked to turn it on at the airport.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[lsteadman]

I second all the comments here. As we line up, someone from security yells out "please take your laptops out of your bag and power them up" so make sure your battery is charge. I fly out of MSP so I don't know if this will be different in your area.

Also, I have never had my laptop handle by security. I also put it in the plastic bin and it rolls right through....keep an eye on it.

 

[safetymom]

I have never been asked to power up my laptop but am prepared to do so.

 

[ducklite]

We've never been asked to power them up either.

Anne

 

[CarolA]

Mine goes through every week and I have NEVER seen behavior like the OP described. Not sure where you heard this, but I would take it with a grain of salt.

I do periodically get pulled for "explosive check" They just take it to some machine and look at it.

 

[mom_rules]

No-us either. We take it out, put it in a bin and put it back into the case on the other end. We have an IBM Think pad-looks alot like everyone elses black laptop.
We have always had a comical sticker (Skateboarder or Snowboarder etc) or our business card taped to the top so that there isn't a chance that it can be mistaken for someone elses.