Laptops on airlines?

[coco villa]

Do airlines allow laptops on planes and can you work on them during flight, does this apply to any other equipment such as mobile phones etc etc.

[smugbabe]

Yes, they allow them... as long as you are able to show they're working before you go through to departures.
All airlines will not allow the use of peripheral devices such as a scanner, printer, external hard-drives etc...
You should also disable your Wi-fi... although saying that... with how technology is moving you might be able to purchase minutes - be it very pricey!!

[coco villa]

Sorry move this to the travel section, i don't know what i was thinking when i put it in here.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

As Smugbabe states, laptops are permitted within aircraft cabins. However, there are a couple of points which you need to know:

1. You're only entitled to take one item of cabin baggage on board. If your laptop is in a laptop bag which is not, in turn, contained within your 'flight bag', the laptop bag will count as your single item and you won't be allowed to take your flight bag into the cabin. Confirmation of this rule is on the Department for Transport website:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/airtrave l/airportsecurity

2. All electronic equipment produces radio frequency signals. During most of the flight, the risk of the signals from a laptop interfering with the electronic systems on board the aircraft is regarded as insignificant. However, during the take-off and landing procedures (i.e. when the 'fasten seatbelt' signs are on), the use of electronic equipment is strictly prohibited..

[Buenchico]

You also ask about mobile phones. The 'cellular' system, which mobile phones use, depends upon your phone making it's position known to transmitters in the area. (When somebody calls you, the call isn't routed to every transmitter in the country. It's only sent to the transmitters near to you). It does this by periodically sending out a signal which means 'Here I am'. (You've probably left your phone next to a radio or hi-fi and heard the sound coming through the speakers).

When a local transmitter picks up this signal, it sends an acknowledgement back to your phone. If no acknowledgement is received, the phone tries another signal but with greater power. If your phone still doesn't get an acknowledgement, it increases the power and tries again. This means that a phone which is nowhere near a transmitter (e.g. when it's several miles up in the air, on board a plane) will be periodically pumping out high-powered radio signals (which can interfere with the electronics on board an aircraft) while trying, unsuccessfully, to contact a transmitter.

Note that the phone doesn't have to be making or receiving calls for the above situation to occur. It's sufficient that the phone is switched on. For this reason, mobile phones must always be switched off, when on an aircraft. Simply having a phoned switched on, without actually using it, is a criminal offence, punishable by 5 years imprisonment.

Chris

[filthiestfis]

Yes Buenchico-sadly I see idiots who keep their phone switched on during a flight every time Im on one! Some of them start texting before the plane has landed! Ive never seen anyone have their phones confisacted or fined, sadly.