laptop as hand luggage?

[donna1901]

hey all, i am taking my laptop with me on a flight and was wondering if any extra checks need to be done?
Also would that be my hand luggage allowance done with? because of my handbag?
need to know in advance thank you xx

[DosAmigos]

Be careful as the airport x-ray scanners can wipe your hard disk clean, unless the data is encrypted.

[Buenchico]

The universal 'one bag only' rule, for security purposes, has now been abolished.

However each airline is still free to impose their own rules upon travellers, with many of the budget airlines rigorously enforcing 'one bag only'. In particular, Ryanair staff check to see that each passenger only takes one bag (within their size limits) on board the aircraft. If you've got more than one bag you'll be required to fit one inside another. (That includes laptops, handbags and post-security shop purchases). If you can't do so, you'll either be made to pay a hefty surcharge or simply be refused travel.

Other airlines might have rules which allow passengers to take more than one item on board (particularly if they're travelling 'business class' or 'first class', with a full-fare airline) or be a little more flexible with their interpretation of the 'one bag' rule.

So, since you've not told us which airline you'll be travelling with, it's impossible to provide you with a definitive answer.

Chris

[donna1901]

hey thank u. its ryanair mate. and i am taking two children are they allowed to take hand luggage?

[Chaffinch]

I use internal flights a lot (England to Scotland) and always take my laptop and handbag with no problems at all. You can even work once the lights go off most planes now have wifi

[ChuckFickens]

And just to put your mind at ease a little more, DosAmigos's answer is totally wrong.

The Xray scanner will not be any risk to your data (encrypted or otherwise, I'm not sure how a Xray scanner would even know if a file is encrypted or not!)

[DosAmigos]

Chucky..

Gotcha!!

mwahahahahahahahaha!!

[Buenchico]

Infants (under 2 years old) do not get a cabin baggage allowance (although you can take their buggy on board).

Older children do get a baggage allowance:
http://www.ryanair.co...bin-baggage-allowance

Chris

[boxtops]

Yes you can, but it is either counted as the single piece of hand baggage or you put it in a larger bag. We took ours out on easyjet 2 weeks ago, we always have to take it out of the bag so people can see what it is, and put it through the scanner in one of those trays. No problem at all.

Re the handbag, that is a single piece as well - so I take a holdall as hand luggage and stuff the handbag in there as well. As long as the holdall fits in that racky thing at the airport you should be find - but measure it, ryanair are very picky, it must fit in one way or another.

[sandyRoe]

Keep an eye on it. There's been an advert running in the Belfast Telegraph offering £1500, no questions asked, for the return of a laptop that 'was lost' on a flight.

[donna1901]

thank you this is clearing things up i think. i will take a large handbag and put the laptop in and charger and my purse etc. its the same bag as last year so i wont have any problems really x

[jno]

watch the weight allowance, though.

[squarebear]

Why not fire up your laptop, sit back and sigh deeply, close your eyes and click on this link when you are in midair:
http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf
That should raise a laugh.

[vindi48]

Ditch the laptop and buy a netbook I took my netbook through airports in Canada, UK, Germany, Hong Kong and not at any check-in did I take it out of the zip pocket on the outside of my carry-on wheeled case - and no-one asked me to do so. Clearly would have been seen (or seen clearly - if one is pedantic) by the xray gizmo people.