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Carrying iMac on airplane?

piatti

piatti

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
How possible is it to carry 27inch iMac on airplane? How much would it be to ship it on the airplane as a baggage versus shipping it by mailing service like UPS etc.

Also since you can't adjust the height for the iMac, what do you do to adjust the height?
 
A few different brands make flight cases. It should fit within checked luggage dimensional requirements and count as a checked bag. Different airlines have slightly varying specs, but you can just do the math on it. If it puts you over the limit and they're charging by weight, that's when it may be cheaper to ship it. The imac is too big to fit within carry on limits.
 
What's the cheapest way to move an iMac when you are relocating to a different city and you are taking the plane?
 
Seems to me that you would have better treatment of the device either with movers (packed well) or sending it through mail or FedEX/UPS.

On a plane, you can't bring it on board with you and it would be treated as luggage and NOT necessarily be treated with the best care.

Any reason why a moving van or the post (UPS/USPS/FedEX) is not an option?
 
The best option is shipping it via fedex or ups if you have the original shipping box. If you don't, there is a company that has shipping kits for about $40.

I think you'd be okay (if you have some kind of insurance to cover if it gets lost) if you got a cheap hard suitcase somewhere and bubble wrapped the heck out of the imac, shrinkwrapped it and then checked it... that's what the guy in the other thread did. Extra baggage is around $30.
 
boraxatude said:
I think you'd be okay (if you have some kind of insurance to cover if it gets lost) if you got a cheap hard suitcase somewhere and bubble wrapped the heck out of the imac, shrinkwrapped it and then checked it... that's what the guy in the other thread did. Extra baggage is around $30.
Click to expand...

You find me a carrier that only charges $30 these days.

I see a general $50 or so, but with a hard case to protect it, you might also incur the wrath of an overweight bag which tacks on another 50-100 bucks on to the price.
 
I highly recommend shipping UPS or FedEx and not trying to take an iMac with you on a plane.

I moved from the midwest to the west coast this summer and shipped six boxes via UPS Ground. Four boxes of clothes, one 17" LCD monitor and one box containing an Xbox 360 w/ games and peripherals and my Mac mini. With insurance (which was very cheap IIRC) the total cost to ship all of this was just about $100.
 
My cousin just moved from San Francisco to the East Coast and he didn't involve movers at all. He used UPS to send his entire apartment east, and for apparantly hundreds less than a moving company or even do-it-yourself van or U-Pack-It would cost.

Even with boxing and shipping and insurance costs. I was actually surprised to hear that.
 
mstrze said:
You find me a carrier that only charges $30 these days.

I see a general $50 or so, but with a hard case to protect it, you might also incur the wrath of an overweight bag which tacks on another 50-100 bucks on to the price.
Click to expand...

I meant $30 for extra baggage.

Both Fedex and UPS will charge you in the neighborhood of $65-70 to ship LA-NYC as an example.

If you have a sturdy, hard-walled piece of luggage and can keep the weight to 50lbs (shipping weight with box/packing of a 27" iMac is 42lbs) then I don't see what the big deal is. It will be close. I believe there are a few carriers that will allow 55lbs. Bubble wrap is cheap and lightweight and will do the job.

For years, I routinely checked video gear - monitors etc. in hard cases with absolutely no problems, flying all over the world. Just keep the weight under 50lbs. As long as you bubble wrap and pad the heck out of the computer inside a hard-walled suitcase, you'll have no problem outside of the low percentage of lost or stolen baggage... Along with the occasional truck running over the suitcase.

p.s. 2 months ago, I checked a case of wine rolled in clothes and packed inside a plastic ikea crate, because the wine was too good and expensive to leave... And would have been too expensive to ship. I carried on my other luggage and paid the $30. No biggie. Pack well and live well!
 
Last edited:
To the original poster:

Somehow, unless you're driving and can take it along with you, traveling with an iMac -- particularly via air -- doesn't seem like that great an idea, at least to me.

Isn't this what laptops were designed for?
Ever think about buying one?

Alternative scenario:
- Get a Mac Mini, whichever one suits you.
- Pack the Mini (along with mouse & keyboard) in your checked luggage
- Buy a cheap monitor at the location you're going to, or perhaps borrow or even rent one.
A mini is small enough to be packed almost anywhere....

... all of this seems a lot less troublesome than trying to drag an iMac along, even in a hard case in checked baggage. You _ain't_ gonna be carrying that onboard with you!
 
google Imcruzer 27" case this should get the job done for your travel needs, i travel all the time with my imac with no issues
 
piatti said:
How possible is it to carry 27inch iMac on airplane? How much would it be to ship it on the airplane as a baggage versus shipping it by mailing service like UPS etc.

Also since you can't adjust the height for the iMac, what do you do to adjust the height?
Click to expand...

A 27" iMac would be to large for carryon. You can check the iMac in and most airlines will charge you the $25 or $50 for an extra piece of luggage.

I did this on American Airlines.
 
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