Carry on Electronics

I've been reading some of the other boards and seems that the Dept of Homeland Security is considering expanding the on board electronics ban to any travel between Europe and the U.S. from any European airport. Apparently this will include any type of camera gear, tablets as well as the current ban on laptops from selected countries. Anything larger than a cellphone will be prohibited.

If this restriction does happen I guess I'll be cancelling an upcoming river cruise. If I can't take pictures there is not much to remember 5 - 10 years from now. I'm certainly not going to put an expensive DSLR in checked baggage!

Could be a decision as soon as next week.

I've been reading some of the other boards and seems that the Dept of Homeland Security is considering expanding the on board electronics ban to any travel between Europe and the U.S. from any European airport. Apparently this will include any type of camera gear, tablets as well as the current ban on laptops from selected countries. Anything larger than a cellphone will be prohibited.

 

If this restriction does happen I guess I'll be cancelling an upcoming river cruise. If I can't take pictures there is not much to remember 5 - 10 years from now. I'm certainly not going to put an expensive DSLR in checked baggage!

 

Could be a decision as soon as next week.

Yeah, I'm concerned about our China trip later this year. We have a small laptop we take on trips, mostly because we take long trips and would like to have some internet availability while traveling. But I'm not sure about havint to pack it in my checked bags.

We've always been told NOT to pack such items in checked bags.

So catch flights via Toronto to Europe!

Trans-pacific flights from Southern California to China should not go anywhere near Europe.

Sure, we like to take photos too when we travel, and DH just invested in a new camera and accessories, plus a GoPro, for some upcoming travel, but I would not cancel trips just because I can't take photos of the places. I travel to different places in the world to see them, experience them, eat their food, take in their culture. Capturing places on film is nice, but it won't change travel for me, or I'll just take some pics on my iPhone.

I've been reading some of the other boards and seems that the Dept of Homeland Security is considering expanding the on board electronics ban to any travel between Europe and the U.S. from any European airport. Apparently this will include any type of camera gear, tablets as well as the current ban on laptops from selected countries. Anything larger than a cellphone will be prohibited.

 

If this restriction does happen I guess I'll be cancelling an upcoming river cruise. If I can't take pictures there is not much to remember 5 - 10 years from now. I'm certainly not going to put an expensive DSLR in checked baggage!

 

Could be a decision as soon as next week.

Check your insurance coverage. If neither the travel insurance nor your homeowners covers enough in case of loss of theft, maybe you can get extra coverage. My DH always puts his laptop in checked baggage despite my protests. No problem so far despite a couple of baggage delays. I wouldn't be happy about this, but I would certainly not consider canceling the trip. But my camera would fit under my insurance coverage. Not the laptop though. We generally travel with one laptop. If this restriction goes through, I'll probably take mine as well. Hopefully, we wouldn't lose both bags! My big concern would be not being able to read my Kindle on the flight. Could use the phone, but not ideal for hours and hours.:(

It will be interesting to see how the airlines react.

Right now most of them disavow any liability for expensive/fragile electronics when checked into the hold...

Similarly, even if you have travel insurance, the policies usually have a fairly low maximum value for 'high risk' items if you check them in...

We had two pair of very expensive prescription glasses, a camera and cell phone stolen in Madrid. Delta said none of the items were covered. She said they never should have been checked. By the time we got back to the US there were already several phone calls made.

It was a very expensive mistake we made.

I wonder how much it would cost to send the electronics home by FedEx.

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There are also several luggage shipping services. We have not used them before, but this may the time. Has the extra benefit of expediting your travel to and through the airports.

We have a flight on Turkish Airlines VCE-IST-IAD in a few weeks. The policy per their website is that electronics other than cell phones are to surrendered at the gate in IST before boarding the US bound flight and you will be issued a receipt. The electronics are to be returned by a person in baggage claim the US upon presentation of your receipt. It sounds like a workable plan. I hope so...

So does the potential danger of a terrorist using a lap top computer as a bomb outweigh the potential danger of having perhaps several hundred laptops with lithium batteries stowed in the cargo hold?

http://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/problem-with-stowing-lithium-ion-batteries-on-planes/?loginMethod=auto

So does the potential danger of a terrorist using a lap top computer as a bomb outweigh the potential danger of having perhaps several hundred laptops with lithium batteries stowed in the cargo hold?

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/problem-with-stowing-lithium-ion-batteries-on-planes/?loginMethod=auto

This is a big issue for the carriers. They may refuse to accept these as checked items.

I also wonder how difficult it is to rig a "laptop bomb" to detonate on a timer. It wouldn't really matter where on the plane such a device was placed. A boom is a boom.

Photos are a big part of my travel experience. So, the idea of camera transfer problems is disheartening.

Some stand alone cameras are the size of a cell phone. Wonder what the rule would be on that.

But it isn't a complete surprise. Last December, after my 6am arrival at Schiphol in Amsterdam, my tiny little Canon PhotoShot was scrutinized and scrutinized and scrutinized while I stood trying to look sane after very little sleep. Finally they let me take it on the plane. I made a mental note to never again leave a memory card in the camera during security checks. Loss of several hundred pictures would be worse than loss of that camera.

I find reviewing and editing photos a great way to spend time waiting for the plane departure.

What I would miss is the opportunity to take airborne photos which are sometimes a delight.

I've been reading some of the other boards and seems that the Dept of Homeland Security is considering expanding the on board electronics ban to any travel between Europe and the U.S. from any European airport. Apparently this will include any type of camera gear, tablets as well as the current ban on laptops from selected countries. Anything larger than a cellphone will be prohibited. ... Could be a decision as soon as next week.

This is really pretty silly. The most dangerous part of your trip statistically is the drive to airport. If the government's main goal was our safety then that is where they should devote their efforts.

My husband spent many years of his working life in the photographic industry which was wonderful as I got to use some of the latest cameras and films just to test you understand. Many years ago I had one of the first cameras that when you opened it the lens extended, we were flying to the USA and on arriving at security Heathrow the security guys were flummoxed they had never seen one before it caused some small problem soon overcome though. I read a report that the officials from the USA are to hold talks with the EU about the electronics issue as they see it. It has been pointed out about the potential battery overload in the holds of the planes. Let's hope common sense prevails. CA

Photos are a big part of my travel experience. So, the idea of camera transfer problems is disheartening.

 

Some stand alone cameras are the size of a cell phone. Wonder what the rule would be on that.

 

But it isn't a complete surprise. Last December, after my 6am arrival at Schiphol in Amsterdam, my tiny little Canon PhotoShot was scrutinized and scrutinized and scrutinized while I stood trying to look sane after very little sleep. Finally they let me take it on the plane. I made a mental note to never again leave a memory card in the camera during security checks. Loss of several hundred pictures would be worse than loss of that camera.

 

I find reviewing and editing photos a great way to spend time waiting for the plane departure.

 

What I would miss is the opportunity to take airborne photos which are sometimes a delight.

I would make sure that there was a blank memory card in the camera (unless, like mine, there is some built in memory in the camera itself), because you may have to turn it on to show it works.

I have a point and shoot Canon superzoom that has the same length and width as a cell phone, but maybe 3/4" thick---by the time I would be told it can't be in carry-on, my other bag would have been checked. And wait a minute, I have to read on my tiny phone, not my kindle?? Uggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

Common sense is dead and buried

I have a point and shoot Canon superzoom that has the same length and width as a cell phone, but maybe 3/4" thick---by the time I would be told it can't be in carry-on, my other bag would have been checked. And wait a minute, I have to read on my tiny phone, not my kindle?? Uggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

 

Common sense is dead and buried

We have to take our shoes because one idiot tried to make a shoe bomb

35,000 Americans die each year from traffic accidents. The state department says an average of 20 Americans a year die from foreign terrorist violence.

Common sense is lost in a panic over the wrong problem.

I heard on the news last night this could go into effect in as soon as two weeks, which will be about 2/3 of the way through our trip so we could leave before it is announced but return when it is in effect.

Grrr.

Putting my MacBook into checked baggage will not work for me and I need my laptop when I travel to work. I cannot imagine the issues this would cause for business travelers.

On more than one occasion my TSA lock on my checked bag has been cut off and items stolen.

There will be a new business opportunity here for someone who figures out how to get these from place to place for travelers who need their computers and other electronics for work.

My husband is a photographer and takes a camera bag with multiple lenses, chargers, etc, everywhere we go. I know he will never agree to check it.

Am I missing something?

I've noticed all the articles talk about banning electronics from the EU to the US. They don't say the ban is one way only but they don't mention the other way.

Are they talking about banning from the US to the EU?

If the ban is only on the way back, I could work with that. In the unlikely event my camera gets stolen, p I can use insurance to pay for it. And I could take my time ordering a replacement. But it happened on the way over, it would be a nightmare trying to find the same camera and lens and purchase them both overseas

Am I missing something?

 

I've noticed all the articles talk about banning electronics from the EU to the US. They don't say the ban is one way only but they don't mention the other way.

 

Are they talking about banning from the US to the EU?

The basis for any ban will be that the US considers itself a target and the countries selected are potential sources of an attack.

The flip side to that is not considered to be the same risk, as although US flagged aircraft might be considered a target, the US mainland is not considered a source of the threat so the need to apply the restrictions to aircraft departing the USA is not so clear.

Some EU countries may respond with a similar ban just to make a point, and of course it will be interesting to see if the UK once again follows the US with an extension of their existing similar, but not identical, ban...

As I understand it, the ban currently being considered would be for incoming flights to the US.

I am a hobby photographer that travels with a fair amount of gear. I assume lenses would not need to be checked but who knows. I also travel with an iPad for email, entertainment, etc. One option I thought of was to buy an iPad mini with stripped down info on it: browser, email, one photo editing app and that is it. Then wipe it clean before putting it in my suitcase.

Business travelers would really suffer and I suspect would howl the loudest; and airlines like to make business travelers happy.

Interesting times we live in.

Good point about needing memory for function.

Check your insurance coverage. If neither the travel insurance nor your homeowners covers enough in case of loss of theft, maybe you can get extra coverage. My DH always puts his laptop in checked baggage despite my protests. No problem so far despite a couple of baggage delays. I wouldn't be happy about this, but I would certainly not consider canceling the trip. But my camera would fit under my insurance coverage. Not the laptop though. We generally travel with one laptop. If this restriction goes through, I'll probably take mine as well. Hopefully, we wouldn't lose both bags! My big concern would be not being able to read my Kindle on the flight. Could use the phone, but not ideal for hours and hours.:(

This was my concern! I can't sleep on a plane and my Kindle lights up and carries me through the night. I hadn't even considered the cameras until reading this thread.

Now to consider that.....cheap camera, yes Expensive one? Maybe not.