How to bring PowerBook 17" onto cross-country flight and back...

[diehldun]

After using it for about a week, I will need to travel with my parents to New York over the holidays. Since I've got to do 3 major essays and 1 powerpoint presentation, i thought i might as well bring the powerbook along. the only problem is: i'm leaving on friday, and i don't have time now (neither do my parents) to go out and get a case for the pb. I've got two cases that will fit 15" inch, but it won't do on the 17" (sooooo close!).

this is a really strange question, but I do I bring it on the flight (JetBlue SAN-JFK) without it getting scratched or damaged en route? Do I carry it through security? while in the airport, put it in an empty backpack????....

please. thanks.

 

[Toeknee]

my suggestion would be to slip it into a backpack with some clothes or something and take it as a carry on. airport security will ask you to turn it on and they might do some other stuff to it so have it and ready for them to check when you get up there. it should be fine as long as your pad it enough. Just dont lose sight of it as you go through security, it'd be a shame if you lost it. not sure if jetblue lets you take bags and keep them under the seat in front of you but thats what i would do.

P.S. san diego is a great city i have family there and the weather is awesome!

 

[diehldun]

alas...

remember though, what i'm bringing is a 17-incher, and unfortunately, there is no backback in my house (i doubt friends too) that will have a backpack long enough to fit in.

maybe carryon, but just on the top with some clothes on top for extra padding (underneath too)?

 

[niter]

I would just get a backpack or bag to carry it in. You are going to need one anyway from the sounds of it. Also, I would get a good one as you spent quite a bit on your bag to begin with.

 

[Counterfit]

Make sure the security guys know it's a Mac! They might be impressed enough to let you go free

 

[Toeknee]

Yeah that should do it just make sure not to bury it with clothes. You're gonna have to get it in and out quickly as you go through security. All in all that should work good luck!

 

[virividox]

if u wrap it in a sweater, like wool or cashemere should be fine, just dont go sitting on it, or use ther sweater and forget ur pb is in it hahah

as for security, just put ur pb to sleep they shouldnt hassle you its just a computer, unless you got red and green and black wires with a clock strapped to it

 

[Packetloss]

Use the original package the Powerbook came in, nothing beats that, carry handle on it and everything, it's like a case.

 

[wordmunger]

Don't forget--you must remove the Powerbook from whatever packaging you've got in order to show security that it's not a bomb or something. And remember, if you're flying coach, there's no way you're going to get that thing open on the tray table--so whatever you use should be tough enough to withstand being jostled about in the overhead bin.

Be sure to back up important files, and keep it away from the magnetic sensors that security folks use--such as the walk-through. The x-ray machine is supposed to be fine.

That said, it all depends on your tolerance for dings and scratches. Personally I don't mind a few scratches, and though I haven't treated my Ti400 with kid gloves, people still come up to me in coffee shops and ask me if it's a brand new computer (it's nearly three years old!).

 

[diehldun]

canvas bag...

I found an old canvas bag (my mom’s from a cruise). Guess what? If fits perfectly! The pb has a snug fit, although there isn’t much padding. I plan to bring it on, and hopefully, JetBlue will allow me to put it on my lap.

The magnetic sensors damage the computer that much? I though you were supposed to avoid it if it is on. But then, I am planning on bringing it to the airport in sleep mode, then turning it off when we board the airplane.

 

[Abstract]

Do you leave it in sleep mode if you're putting it through the x-ray conveyor belt, or do you just turn it off completely?

I'll be boarding a plane with my new 12" PB in February, and it would be a shame to eff it up.

 

[diehldun]

i would say turn it off...

i'd probably turn it off. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the x-ray and metal detectors might interfere with the computer if it’s on. But then, I know that at airports like Lindbergh Field (SAN), and especially JFK are crowded, and they get sooooo mad at you if you hog up the line to turn the computer on. And if I turn it on there, that means I’ll have to turn it off, and then the chances of dropping it or something increases….

Maybe if they see the 17” powerbook they’ll say “woah.” And let me through

 

[daviesaz]

Based on personal experience

When you get to security, you'll have to take it out of whatever you're carrying it in and put it in a gray plastic bin to be x-rayed by itself. Collect it at the other end. Any old backpack will work, but I suggest you wrap your PB in a bath towel to protect it from scratches (Arthur Dent was right!). Put your wallet and other pocket contents in another piece of carry-on luggage, not in an x-ray bin by itself. Take your shoes off before you go through the metal detector (even though it's now optional). If you need to have an personal body scan, you can get distracted from watching your personal effects, and stand a greater risk of losing something.

Once on the plane, don't put your PB in an overhead bin. Some idiot will put his ski boots in on top of it. Keep it under the seat in front of you. Even a 17" PB can be used on a plane. Just hold it close to you. The biggest concern is when the person in front of you puts his seat back. If your computer is on the tray table, the top can get snagged by the tray table catch.

 

[Abstract]

Thanks.

I was thinking that if I left my computer off, the people there would be pissed. We all know how long it takes for a Mac to boot up.

Anyway, I would normally just place the laptop into the tray, and place my wallet and stuff in my backpack, which would then be placed on the conveyor belt to be scanned. Its easier to lose a bunch of small things in a tray than an entire backpack full of stuff. I doubt that I would forget a backpack.

And I was never asked to take my shoes off the last time I was on a plane.

 

[legion]

You don't have to take off your shoes unless you have a heel to your shoes. Any flat shoes (eg, tennis shoes) won't have to be taken off since there isn't any real outersole to stuff anything nefarious into.

As for turning on the laptop at security, I haven't had to do that once in about a year. It's now just been a matter of opening the lid to show the security the keyboard/LCD and then putting it in a plastic bin and letting it scan (you can't put anything else in the plastic bin with the laptop.) Since I travel a lot (about 30 roundtrips this year), I usually wear tennis shoes through the airport, no metal belts, throw all my valuable (keys, cell phone, etc) in my jacket which i pass through in a bin with my laptop case and use another bin for my laptop (laptop bin goes in first), carryon luggage goes in last. When I get to the otherside, I grab my laptop, open up my laptop case and put it back, grab my jacket, and just grab my carryon case last (if there's anything that's going to delay security, the luggage would be it, so it gives me time to collect my laptop while they go over that and it also holds up everyone else in line so no one has a chance to swipe my valuables.)

This has worked for SeaTac, LAX, John Wayne, MCI, Lambert, SFO, O'Hare, Dulles Int'l, Denver, and JFK over the past year; no delays and no concerns.

 

[diehldun]

so leave it on...

so i assume that you leave the pb ON/sleep while passing through security. the x-ray machine or metal-detectors shouldn't damage it?

and finally, i have one question. is there a high risk of damaging the powerbook when putting it in one of those plastic bins, and having security check it? because i've seen those plastic pink or grey bins and i honestly don't believe that the 17" powerbook will fit in one of them. does anynone know if they really check them (like make you take it out of the computer case and put it in the box) @ either SAN or JFK??

i might sound really paranoid about having this, but i really would be quite pissed if my less-than-two-week-old powerbook that cost me lots o $$$$$$ got damaged (not just internally, but also physically/cosmetically)

thanks for the advice!

 

[legion]

Re: so leave it on...

Originally posted by diehldun
so i assume that you leave the pb ON/sleep while passing through security. the x-ray machine or metal-detectors shouldn't damage it?

It doesn't matter, sometimes on, sometimes sleep, sometimes off (depends how early I am to a flight) The laptop won't get damaged going through the scanner in any of these states. Out of respect, I always turn off any bluetooth and wireless antennas while on a plane (after all, they are radio frequency transmitters.) If this is your first time traveling with a laptop with wireless, please have the same courtesy if you're going to operate the laptop on the plane.

and finally, i have one question. is there a high risk of damaging the powerbook when putting it in one of those plastic bins, and having security check it? because i've seen those plastic pink or grey bins and i honestly don't believe that the 17" powerbook will fit in one of them. does anynone know if they really check them (like make you take it out of the computer case and put it in the box) @ either SAN or JFK??

(a) you can't have it in any kind of case when putting it through the metal detector (absolutely not allowed)

(b) if it doesn't fit in the bin, it'll rest in it at an angle-- there's no requirement to let it lay flat.

(c) relax! laptops are meant to handle more abuses than desktops because they are portables If a laptop couldn't take at least a few of the "real world"'s elements, then it's of a poor design.

 

[Counterfit]

Be careful of scratches though, your PowerBook should have more of a sheen than a shine