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Is 17" MBP too big for coach-class airplane use?
- Thread starter Mr.Gadget
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Not if you fly every two weeks or more on short notice and you have to pay for the flights yourself.
the 17 inch is a great laptop. but the 17" is more desktop replacement...and it's so big. so i dont think it is a great one to actually travel on planes with.
especially because it sucks the power. and there is NO apple airplane or auto power adapter.
this is a real problem.
especially because it sucks the power. and there is NO apple airplane or auto power adapter.
this is a real problem.
maverickws said:So what MBP did u go for?
I went with the 17" refurb, all stock, plus the Applecare. I'm getting more RAM from Newegg (1GB) since it is cheaper there...
I figure when I fly I'll swap with the little lady and use her Macbook if she'll part with it.
They're allowing laptops on planes again now? Last time I flew they didn't even allow toothpaste.
Seriously though. I can't work when I'm flying. I either read a book or I've brought a little DVD player to watch a movie. I'm a white knuckly flyer anyway and that's even before 9/11 happened. I just don't like the idea of putting myself into a giant metal sausage with wings piloted by God knows who in the cockpit.
Last time I flew they didn't even allow toothpaste.Seriously though. I can't work when I'm flying. I either read a book or I've brought a little DVD player to watch a movie. I'm a white knuckly flyer anyway and that's even before 9/11 happened. I just don't like the idea of putting myself into a giant metal sausage with wings piloted by God knows who in the cockpit.
generik said:
That isn't a fair comment. A lot of people's employers pay for business class travel, but some people like to use their laptops when travelling personally as well, and business class is not an option.
The opposite also holds true, and a lot of employers (especially in the tech and media fields) do NOT pay for business class travel. Case in point, my previous employer did NOT pay for business class travel, and only my personal flights were in business class.
The bottom line is, please don't judge people's financial situation by the laptop/computer they buy. Just my $0.02.
Yeah, I spent all my money on the 17 incher so there goes the first class budget!
As flying goes... Give me a choice and I will drive instead of fly, any day.
As flying goes... Give me a choice and I will drive instead of fly, any day.
Well as far as my needings go, I went for the 15'', the 17'' would be nice to own but didn't justify.
Enjoy your MBP well
Enjoy your MBP well
Definitely off topic, but seriously, who works for someone who pays for business/first class and is not traveling either internationally (10+hrs) or is an executive?
I haven't seen it yet. For anyone yet to enter the job market and is in sales, get used to sitting in coach, cause you will get to spend LOTS of time there staring at the seat infront of you and not in a posh business class seat. That is if the plane even shows up on time...
I haven't seen it yet. For anyone yet to enter the job market and is in sales, get used to sitting in coach, cause you will get to spend LOTS of time there staring at the seat infront of you and not in a posh business class seat. That is if the plane even shows up on time...
Some of us work for ourselves.generik said:Hmm.. either your job pays you very well, or you should not get a job where you can be ordered to fly on short notice at your own expense
In June I was contacted to do a rush job. I had 9 hours notice to get a ticket, organise accommodation, and travel interstate.
I am in negotiations for a 3 month job in UK (a 23 hour flight each way). If the negotiation is successful I will need to get a ticket and be in UK within 72 hours.
The cost of travel & accommodation will come out of my company's revenue. Now ... do I put up with discomfort for 46 hours or do I pay the extra USD4000? Hmmm.
I prefer to work for myself and only a few months a year, so I know what my priority is - I usually save the money I would otherwise spend on comfort, and then I can avoid having to work that extra few weeks per year. My choice, my cash, my discomfort.
As to using a PC on a plane, I find it difficult to do meaningful work on a plane, even the long haul flights of 10 hours or more. Very few of the people I see in economy, business & first class (yes sometimes I need a bunch of comfort as well!) actually do real work on their PCs. They might fiddle with Excel or Powerpoint or watch a movie (why, when there is a choice of 50+ on demand?). Only a very few (two or three in the most recent dozen longhaul and dozen shorthaul) have been writing or reviewing documents.
Back OT. I use a 17". OK in first class and business class, but I wouldn't bother with any laptop in economy with 34" or less seat pitch.
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of anything larger than my 13" MacBook for flights. My 15" TiBook was even too big for my tastes. But if you got the means and the patience for it, get it.
You know what commerical popped into my head? The original 12" and 17" Powerbook commerical. I'm going to be getting onto a plane one the 21st (missing three days of school, oh darn), and when I get on, I'm going to be 6' 3" and be using a 12" iBook. This is going to be the first time I've had a laptop on a flight, so it will be an interesting flight.
BTW, for those who fly frequently, how many people fly on a plane on 6:30 in the morning?
BTW, for those who fly frequently, how many people fly on a plane on 6:30 in the morning?
zflauaus said:
I love the early flights. I've even flown out at 5AM! The people are nice, and quiet... The service is good since you are the first one there and there is always fresh coffee. Oh yeah, less lines too!
5AM! Wow! I am not a morning person at all so this is going to be interesting. We have to leave the house at like 2-3AM because we are about 1 1/2 hours away from the airport, and isn't the rule to be like two hours ahead of schedule?Mr.Gadget said:
BTW, I don't drink coffee. But I might have to acquire a taste for cappuchino or something from Starbucks to wake me up.
zflauaus said:
i have flown to San Francisco from Boston twice over the past year, once at 6:30AM and once at 6AM, both times on a Sunday. One flight the plane was maybe 30% full, the other time it was overbooked. (United Airlines)
there is no way to know until you get there OR if you go to the airline website the day before and try to "buy" a ticket and see if the flight is sold out or not.
i love early flights, usually just a mellower flight, and the airport is WAY easier to deal with at 5AM than at 5PM.
zflauaus said:
Yep, those are some early days! I live an hour from the airport so it is almost as bad. I try to get there about 45min to an hour early. We have a small airport (Spokane Washington), so it isn't so bad; especially that early!
If you aren't a coffee drinker than Starbucks should really wake you up!
I expect my 17" MBP tomorrow, but using this Macbook to type now, I can see where this is a perfect size for cramped airplanes. I'll just have to put that .mac account to use and synchronize before a trip...
Good luck on your flight!
In early morning, the airports are less congested. When I fly out for business, I always pick the earliest possible flight out of JFK or EWR so that I can minimize the chance of getting bogged down with long lines at the security. 6 a.m. flights are working very well for me when I depart (on my return trip to East Coast, it would be an afternoon flight and arriving in the middle of night, which is also a good time because less people at the airport and less traffic outside the airport when I drive home).
For a couch class, my work PC (12" Dell) is just the right size. I try to make my gear as light as possible when I take a plane ride. The more you carry, the more dish out at the security check point.
I would consider taking a 15" notebook computer with me for the plane ride. But, if I have a choice, I think I would end up picking up 12" computer instead.
For a couch class, my work PC (12" Dell) is just the right size. I try to make my gear as light as possible when I take a plane ride. The more you carry, the more dish out at the security check point.
I would consider taking a 15" notebook computer with me for the plane ride. But, if I have a choice, I think I would end up picking up 12" computer instead.
If you sat next to me in coach with a 17" laptop, I'd request a new seat immediately, and if I didn't get it - take care of it with management.
I've had it happen (people set next to me with 17" notebooks) twice before, on flights to Romania and to Italy. It's NOT fun. Coach is NOT wide enough for such a behemouth notebook. It's nearly as wide as the full seat, so any slight movement to the side and you're in the other person's "space". Not to mention it's a bear to shift around when in flight, and in general - a bad idea.
If you're flying that much, get a portable portable. You have to compromise sometime, and 17" notebooks + coach == disaster. Upgrade to at least business class, or first class if you really _must_ have such a HUGE notebook.
I used to fly with a 12" PB, and now have a 13" macbook. If you fly a lot, that's the size you want.
I've had it happen (people set next to me with 17" notebooks) twice before, on flights to Romania and to Italy. It's NOT fun. Coach is NOT wide enough for such a behemouth notebook. It's nearly as wide as the full seat, so any slight movement to the side and you're in the other person's "space". Not to mention it's a bear to shift around when in flight, and in general - a bad idea.
If you're flying that much, get a portable portable. You have to compromise sometime, and 17" notebooks + coach == disaster. Upgrade to at least business class, or first class if you really _must_ have such a HUGE notebook.
I used to fly with a 12" PB, and now have a 13" macbook. If you fly a lot, that's the size you want.