Electronics on board???

[ducklite]

I just flew MCO/PHL and back this weekend, carried on my laptop, micro cassette recorder and cell phone.

As well as my mascara and a metal tube of hand cream. They seemed more concerned in finding the mysterious lighter in my bag during a hald search--and I don't own a lighter. Looked right at the tube of hand cream and kept going.

Morons.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Which is why travelers should never put their home address on or in their luggage. Use your work address, use your destination address, use (with permission) the address of a friend or neighbor who will be home while you're gone...

I don't put my address at all. Only my cell phone number.

Anne

 

[salmoneous]

TSA unlocks the approved lock and locks the suitcase after inspection. Ramp agents have no way to unlock them.

There is basically one key that opens every lock. Thousands of copies have been in the hands of tens of thousands of TSA agents. Anyone willing to take a semi-low paying job who can pass a minimal background check can be a TSA agent. Something tells me many theiving ramp agents have a copy of the TSA key.

I don't know what the answer is. TSA locks deter some people, but also call attention to a bag. I wouldn't put anything of true value in a checked bag, and rely more on hiding than locks for things with a little value.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I just flew MCO/PHL and back this weekend, carried on my laptop, micro cassette recorder and cell phone.

As well as my mascara and a metal tube of hand cream. They seemed more concerned in finding the mysterious lighter in my bag during a hald search--and I don't own a lighter. Looked right at the tube of hand cream and kept going.

Morons.

Anne

ducklite,
how long was the wait for security in PHL? I normally don't care but we're flying 9/28 and was planning on letting my kids have an early dismissal from school. I'd hate to have them miss the whole day but of course if they have to there's not much we can do about that. Original plan was to pick up at school at noon for a 2:30 flight. It's about 30 min. drive to the airport. Should we leave earlier? Thanks.

 

[ducklite]

ducklite,
how long was the wait for security in PHL? I normally don't care but we're flying 9/28 and was planning on letting my kids have an early dismissal from school. I'd hate to have them miss the whole day but of course if they have to there's not much we can do about that. Original plan was to pick up at school at noon for a 2:30 flight. It's about 30 min. drive to the airport. Should we leave earlier? Thanks.

That should be OK. The lines at the check-in counter were rather long, the lines at security were non-existant--we were behind one very confused family wiating for our ID's to be checked, but got in a different screening line with only a few people in front of us.

There were three, maybe four people waiting outside to check bags with teh sky caps.

Anne

 

[WillCAD]

I don't put my address at all. Only my cell phone number.

Ironically, i the TSA ever goes the British route and bans all electronics, your cell phone would be in the checked bag!

There is basically one key that opens every lock. Thousands of copies have been in the hands of tens of thousands of TSA agents. Anyone willing to take a semi-low paying job who can pass a minimal background check can be a TSA agent. Something tells me many theiving ramp agents have a copy of the TSA key.

I don't know what the answer is. TSA locks deter some people, but also call attention to a bag. I wouldn't put anything of true value in a checked bag, and rely more on hiding than locks for things with a little value.

That's always been my policy. I have never put anything fragile or valuable in my checked luggage. Of course, if it were lost, I'd be highly inconvenienced by having to buy new clothes, toiletries, and OTC meds at the destination, but it wouldn't be nearly as big a loss as my camera or laptop equipment.

 

[ducklite]

Ironically, i the TSA ever goes the British route and bans all electronics, your cell phone would be in the checked bag!

In which case I'll change it to my office number. Now that I think about it, my unlisted home phone is written in silver Sharpie on the bottom plastic part (between the wheels if that makes sense) on some of my larger bags that I would check if I flew with them.

Anne

 

[UKVermonter]

We just got back from WDW flying from Sanford to Manchester UK and we was allowed all of our electronics/Sat Nav, Digital Video Camera, and 3 Digital Cameras, just nothing that was liquid or gel. My wife and I were both searched only due to metal belts buckles. The TSA staff were very nice and did a great job. Our flight was so so the food was awful and the space on MY Travel was crowded, I wish they would make the seating more bearable, my wife tried to put her seat back to relax and the woman behind her pushed the seat forward and told my wife she couldn't recline her seat back, I can see during the time food is being served to put your seat up, but at other time one should be able to recline and try to get some sleep, a flight attendant saw what was happening and came to our defence and told the woman behind us we could recline our seats. Also on our flight to Orlando we purchased 3 park tickets to Busch Gardens from MY TRAVEL, and when the day came that we traveled to Busch Gardens and tried to use the tickets one of the adults was from 2004 and had expired and we had to buy another one, so my advice would be to wait to buy them at the park and not MY TRAVEL.

 

[goofy4tink]

Back in early Nov '01, right after 9/11, we flew PanAM out of Worcester Mass. While other airlines were allowing carryon stuff, PanAm was not. You were allowed a purse but that was about it. My friend and I both had camera equipment, 35mm as well as video. Naturally, we didn't want to check it. But, PanAm would not allow us to carry it on. Their answer was for us to check it, but the electronics were put into a special Rubbermaid type bin. The entire camera case (padded nicely of course) was put in, then stuff was packed around each case. Each camera bag was tagged with a claim number/receipt. We had to sign for them. When we got to Sanford we had to go to a different area, rather than baggage claim, where we had to hand over our claim checks in order to get our photo equip. Then, signed that we had in fact received it. It took about 10 minutes total. If the airlines are going to start prohibiting electronics/photography equip as carry on then they are going to have to provide some safe alternative. There is no way that I am putting my valuables in my checked luggage.

 

[LBelle]

Now I just don't know what to do with all of our elec. equip????

Just read about a couple flying from the States into Canada and found their Ipod and Blackberry missing from their luggage!!!!!

This 'shipping to the resort' thing might be an alternative??!!!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Now I just don't know what to do with all of our elec. equip????

Just read about a couple flying from the States into Canada and found their Ipod and Blackberry missing from their luggage!!!!!

This 'shipping to the resort' thing might be an alternative??!!!

That's ok if you're going to a resort but what if you're taking a cruise? I guess we'd have to just leave them home.

 

[deekaypee]

First, let me just say that I don't think the current restrictions are going to hold for very long. So there's a good chance that by the time you travel this won't be an issue for you.

Second, all electronic devices were allowed on my Northwest Airlines trips. These took place on Thursday, 8/10 and Sunday, 8/13; devices included laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. I traveled through Minneapolis and Chicago O'Hare, where I saw other passengers on other flights and with other airlines carrying on electronic devices. And while I cannot speak for all airlines and airports in the US (let alone internationally), I am not aware of a (continuing) electronics device ban.

That said, I am impressed by the number of good suggestions on these threads for making checked luggage more secure and/or avoiding undue/additional anxiety about checked luggage. We should probably keep a list of these suggestions on the DISboards, because it appears quite a few people in our community fly rarely and primarily for pleasure. By doing so I think we can collectively work to relieve some of this anxiety.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I was sitting in my car thinking (sometimes I do that when I drive... )
and thought...at one time they were afraid terrorists were hiding things inside our electronics (ie, video cameras, laptops, etc) so they had us turn on the items at security to prove they were working.

Now, they're afraid that they do work.

Ironic. If all they're only afraid of the fact that we can generate some power from our battery operated items (and I don't think that's all they're afraid of...) then I'd gladly check all my batteries rather than the actual camera equipment. It's easier to replace a few batteries (even though they're proprietory) than the entire camera kit.

But of course, if we did that, you wouldn't be able to turn it on to prove you haven't hidden anything into your faux camera equipment.

Bah...I think I'll stop thinking in the car.

(Oh, I realize we can bring our electronics with us....just thinking about the "what if" scenario)

 

[LBelle]

That would be a great idea...carry on elec. equip. but without the battery power! It's too bad that the airports couldn't have some sort of 'universal' battery or something for you to be able to show them that it works for only it's intended purpose!!

Oh well....wishful thinking!!

 

[TDC Nala]

Having read that the arrestees in London may have intended to detonate explosives with a watch battery, I'm wondering why nobody's banned watches.

 

[CarolA]

Considering the number of places I can think of to get power on a plane without a BATTERY, I think this may rank as one of the all time dumb moves. POWER is not the issue EXPLOSIVES ARE. The TSA once again is focusing on "symptons" vs "cause"

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, it is rather common for the locks to get broken off of suitcases by the sorting machinery; it uses squeeze rollers to shunt the bags through, and the locks catch in the rollers sometimes. For that reason, an attempt to get a claim out of TSA on the grounds that they took a lock off and didn't put it back is probably going to be more trouble than it is worth. I really doubt that fines happen too often, unless someone catches the failure with a camera phone or something like that.

Now I'm sure that baggage handlers in general are fine folks who have a really physically demanding job, but it is just too tempting for thieves to try to sign up for this work and get away with it, at least for awhile. If it isn't pilfering, it's smuggling -- there is just no way to put sufficient oversight into the bag rooms. All a handler has to do is "lose" a bag for awhile and get into it with bolt cutters while on break, or slash it and say that he got it off the machine in that condition.

Taking out the battery doesn't make electronics safe. (Taking out the hard drive would at least secure your data, but if they won't allow you to take the laptop, why would they allow you to take the hard drive or the battery instead?) Give me a laptop without a battery, and $30 on ebay puts it right back into commission. Laptops are PRIME resale fodder, and investing $30 or so in a commercial-quality machine that can net you $2K used is a no-brainer.

I would say that anytime you have a situation where checking electronics is being required, the answer is to ship them ahead with full insurance, and make sure that all data that you cannot afford to lose is backed up somewhere, preferably on a network as well as in portable memory.

 

[seashoreCM]

sayI would say that anytime you have a situation where checking electronics is being required, the answer is to ship them ahead with full insurance, and make sure that all data that you cannot afford to lose is backed up somewhere, preferably on a network as well as in portable memory.

(Repeat) The airline needs to let a golden opportunity knock for you to do so, which may require that they honor your ticket as-is a little later.

 

[bavaria]

(Repeat) The airline needs to let a golden opportunity knock for you to do so, which may require that they honor your ticket as-is a little later.

I'm not sure that I understand what this means.

I DO know that I am not going to come to a Disney themed website for accurate travel information; I would go to TSA or CATSA or BAA depending on my origin/destination, as well as flyertalk.com and my airline website. The recent misinformation on these boards (including threads which were removed completely and filled with wrong or outdated information, which only serves to cause unneeded panic) amazes me.

And I am sure that a lot of companies are like mine - we have been expressly forbidden to check any company electronics during the 'new' travel situation and have been advised to make alternate arrangements if required.

 

[CarolA]

Well the TSA site has a FEW issues right now. The USAToday article this morning pointed out several discrpeancies within the TSA website.........Stuff allowed on page one is not allowed on page two etc..