In case we need to check our cameras...

[Kelly Grannell]

That's not what they're saying on the news. I was watching CBC this morning and the person in charge of Pearson said that electronics were still allowed on board. Air Canada also has it on their website that the only things banned right now are the liquids/gels. Transport Canada also has the same message. I haven't seen anything in the media where this is happening in Canada.

They may say so on the site but I saw it with my own eyes yesterday:

1. people are forced to check-in ALL of their electronic equipments including but not llimited to laptops, PDAs, cameras, MP3 players and cellphones.
2. Teddy bears, rattles taken away from kids and being put in a "collection" bin for those who refuses to check the toys and plush in
3. SEALED bottled water, juice confiscated and being put also in the same "collection" bin
4. e-mails from the respective airlines I've bought ticket from mentioning that there will be no electronic devices allowed on board for at least the next week "or so".

 

[mhutchinson]

I am so glad I had decided that my October WDW visit was going to be a driving trip. As it was before all this stuff hit we spent almost 1/2 the ride to WDW going through luggage, TSA, flight time, and getting the luggage....(not to mention the 'Magical Express' line). We just added an extra 2 days to our trip and can carry all the water bottles we need and can stay as long as we want too.

...okay so at some point the money would run out

Mike

 

[pxlbarrel]

They may say so on the site but I saw it with my own eyes yesterday:

1. people are forced to check-in ALL of their electronic equipments including but not llimited to laptops, PDAs, cameras, MP3 players and cellphones.
2. Teddy bears, rattles taken away from kids and being put in a "collection" bin for those who refuses to check the toys and plush in
3. SEALED bottled water, juice confiscated and being put also in the same "collection" bin
4. e-mails from the respective airlines I've bought ticket from mentioning that there will be no electronic devices allowed on board for at least the next week "or so".

Which airport was this?

And I just called my home insurance agent and my luggage and electronics (including computer) are covered up to $5K...so, if the worst happens, I'm covered. It's still a crappy situation.

 

[Amy]

Ok, I'm probably being a little naive here, but what about sending your camera equipment and/or memory cards via UPS or FedEx, rather than checking them with your luggage? I'd trust UPS and FedEx more than the airlines!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Which airport was this?

Pearson International Airport in Toronto (Canada).

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Snippets from various news sources with regards to Pearson's chaos yesterday

Now imagine you have to unpack everything and get rid of items like your toothpaste, your mouthwash or even your child's plush toy before you can get onboard.

"It's very, very scary," notes a tired Christine Knight, whose family left Manchester for a two week stay in Toronto. "We didn't know what had happened until we got to the airport. We've had to put everything -- toys for the children, everything had to go into the (checked-in) bags.

"It was chaos, just lines and lines of travellers. They're checking every piece of hand baggage. You can only take documentation and your wallet on the flight."

Leave your water bottle behind if you're planning to fly anytime soon. You can't bring an iPod either

 

[Anewman]

Snippets from various news sources with regards to Pearson's chaos yesterday

I understand most of those snippets are in regards to flights involving OVERSEAS travel.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I understand most of those snippets are in regards to flights involving OVERSEAS travel.

AND those were people who were leaving from the UK where there is no carry on at the moment. You will note that the one family was leaving MANCHESTER for Toronto, not the other way around.

I'm sorry...I can't believe that what you said is happening at Pearson because if that were happening, I have to believe the news would be all over it....especially taking teddys away from little children.

I've been to every official website from Transport Canada to the GTAA to Air Canada and they all explicity say electronics are being allowed right now. Whether that changes in the days to come is the great unknown.

 

[fitzperry]

Ok, I'm probably being a little naive here, but what about sending your camera equipment and/or memory cards via UPS or FedEx, rather than checking them with your luggage? I'd trust UPS and FedEx more than the airlines!

I was sort of wondering about that too. Dh and I have a trip to Europe tentatively planned in the fall, and I haven't spent beaucoup bucks on a dslr and all the accoutrements just to carry a disposable camera around on my first trip to Paris. We're also going to WDW for Thanksgiving (booked before the Eurpoean opportunity arose). We usually fly to Florida, but we haven't been able to get a decent fare and have been figuring we might drive (the kids could use a good Chevy Chase style road trip anyway ). Not being able to carry on my camera gear would be the straw that breaks the camel's back on that one.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I dunno about Fed Ex or UPS mainly because if you're in another country, won't you end up paying brokerage to get it across the border?

Besides, Fed Ex lost a package of mine back in December and when I called them, they said they'd look for it. A few days later of not hearing from them, I called and they told me, "Oh, we looked for it and we couldn't find it so we closed the case."

Uhhhhh...ok, not my idea of great customer service. They closed the case and they did nothing about the lost package.

 

[Greg K.]

...if we would be having any of these conversations if it were August 17th.

Imagine it is the morning after that horrific terror attack was carried out. Three or four thousand people were blown up in mid-air.

Would any of this foot-stomping and nostril-flaring about not being able to travel with cameras even be going on? Wouldn't we all be a little more willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to prevent a repeat of this kind of tragedy?

Perspective, people. Let's have some perspective. The risk isn't going away any time soon. The people who are doing this have been momentarily foiled, but they won't cease trying until they've succeeded -- and they don't care if they lose some of their own in the process. In fact, they WANT to kill their own while trying to kill us.

The measures that are being enforced are inconvenient, and for some, costly. Lives are being disrupted, vacations ruined, livelihoods and careers seriously impacted.

Well. What a pity. But you know what? War is hell.

 

[fitzperry]

At least with Fed Ex or UPS you could insure it though, and the carrier would handle all the issues with customs, etc. I realize it wouldn't be cheap, and you still run some risk of loss, but I'm not aware of any way to insure electronics that are checked on a commercial flight. Maybe there's something I'm missing though. I suspect that if this continues, the airlines or someone else will begin to offer insurance, at a fair price, I'm sure.

 

[fitzperry]

...if we would be having any of these conversations if it were August 17th.

Imagine it is the morning after that horrific terror attack was carried out. Three or four thousand people were blown up in mid-air.

Would any of this foot-stomping and nostril-flaring about not being able to travel with cameras even be going on? Wouldn't we all be a little more willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to prevent a repeat of this kind of tragedy?

Perspective, people. Let's have some perspective. The risk isn't going away any time soon. The people who are doing this have been momentarily foiled, but they won't cease trying until they've succeeded -- and they don't care if they lose some of their own in the process. In fact, they WANT to kill their own while trying to kill us.

The measures that are being enforced are inconvenient, and for some, costly. Lives are being disrupted, vacations ruined, livelihoods and careers seriously impacted.

Well. What a pity. But you know what? War is hell.

Sure we'd be having these conversations. People certainly haven't been silent about the restrictions imposed after 9/11. Obviously we need to do everything within reason to make air travel as safe as possible. The tough part is deciding what is within reason. It's also incumbent upon the airlines and the TSA and its counterparts in other countries to keep up with technology so that a balance can be struck between safety and convenience.

 

[pxlbarrel]

...if we would be having any of these conversations if it were August 17th.

Imagine it is the morning after that horrific terror attack was carried out. Three or four thousand people were blown up in mid-air.

Would any of this foot-stomping and nostril-flaring about not being able to travel with cameras even be going on? Wouldn't we all be a little more willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to prevent a repeat of this kind of tragedy?

Perspective, people. Let's have some perspective. The risk isn't going away any time soon. The people who are doing this have been momentarily foiled, but they won't cease trying until they've succeeded -- and they don't care if they lose some of their own in the process. In fact, they WANT to kill their own while trying to kill us.

The measures that are being enforced are inconvenient, and for some, costly. Lives are being disrupted, vacations ruined, livelihoods and careers seriously impacted.

Well. What a pity. But you know what? War is hell.

We don't stop living because something terrible has happened. We go on and try to figure out the best way to cope with the circumstances that are presented to us and the only way to do that is to discuss it.

I'm sick of people who think that people who talk about how inconvenient and what a hassle it will be are people who don't care about safety and that we think anything less about people's lives. Gee whiz, it's not that at all...it's about coping with it and getting on with your life because if you don't, then those idiots who are terrorizing our existence have won.

It's not about perspective...we have perspective. It's about how to deal with it.

Now getting back to the topic at hand....my home insurance apparently covers personal items lost by the airline....including (and my agent was specific) a laptop and electronics, including my digital camera. If in doubt, check with your own insurance agent about it.

Like fitz, I didn't spend all this money on my dslr or drool in anticipation of taking what I hope to be great photos at DL to be thwarted by people who think so little of life that they'd kill themselves and others.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

I understand most of those snippets are in regards to flights involving OVERSEAS travel.

including to the US and even to Ottawa (so very domestic)

 

[Kelly Grannell]

AND those were people who were leaving from the UK where there is no carry on at the moment. You will note that the one family was leaving MANCHESTER for Toronto, not the other way around.

No you read it wrong. She leaving FROM Pearson after her 2 weeks away from Manchester.

You can believe whatever you want to believe. I was there with the reporter to take videos for her report. We actually saw teddy bears being grabbed by the officer on duty and thrown to a bin and there was a lot of yelling (from the parents) and screaming (from the kids).

But hey, believe what you want. I'm just a worthless witness here. The video snippet was available online yesterday at City News for several hours until the editor decided to take it off the web.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

At least with Fed Ex or UPS you could insure it though, and the carrier would handle all the issues with customs, etc. I realize it wouldn't be cheap, and you still run some risk of loss, but I'm not aware of any way to insure electronics that are checked on a commercial flight. Maybe there's something I'm missing though. I suspect that if this continues, the airlines or someone else will begin to offer insurance, at a fair price, I'm sure.

I've checked with TNT (the only company in Canada that deals with photography, filmography and videography equipments and fully insured) they quoted $700 to ship my gear from Toronto to California... each way. This is the same company used by movie and movie camera companies such as Fox, Panavision, Arriflex to ship their gears.

 

[CarolA]

So...if something like what's happening in the UK right now happens in North America...you won't fly? What if you had been in the UK and trying to return to the U.S. right now. Would you take permanent residence in the UK? Ok, I'm being sarcastic now but sometimes there are no choices...so what do you do then? That's what I'm asking...what are some solutions to some difficult conditions? I'm flying in 1 week with my camera equipment and hope never to have to deal with it on this trip.

It stinks...what do we do about it?

I can fly for personal I don't need the laptop for that.

My company is already having people take the Eurostar to Paris to fly home from there where you can still bring on your laptop.

The solution would be for the secuity folks to realize that this isn't doing any good. It's suppose to deny the terrorist power to power his bomb. In about two minutes I can figure out about five or six places a terriorist could get to on a plane UNNOTICED and find the 'power" (bathroom, in seat phone, in seat video unit, In seat power port galley while the FAs are out serving etc.!)


And the planes need POWER to run so there is nothing we can do about that....

 

[Kelly Grannell]

exactly, all you need is enough static electricity and kabooom! No need for electronic devices.

 

[CarolA]

exactly, all you need is enough static electricity and kabooom! No need for electronic devices.

I already emailed the folks at TSA and pointed this fact out to them as a reminder. (I figure I may now hit the no fly list considering that the TSA agents I have met figure that the way to deal with objections to thier operations is to threaten you!)