Australia may ban laptops on international flights, Malcolm Turnbull says....

[Gold60]

I wonder if someone will come up with a business idea that you only need to travel with a backup up drive of some sort so that you only carry that, and hire a lappie at the destination airport or something similar to this?

 

[Cryptarcadian]

It's not only laptops, but any electronic device larger than a phone, right? That includes phablets, tablets, laptops, noise-cancelling headphones, cameras, gaming handhelds...

Are we meant to check in photographic equipment as well? If you're going on a holiday, that's risky enough... for photographers, that's a huge opportunity for theft and damage. Not having headphones or BYO entertainment, especially for kids, is going to make flying Y so much more fun for all pax as well (LCCs with IFE options for sale will be laughing though, I'm sure).

I can't imagine insurance will cover these circumstances (though I haven't seen any specific clarification from insurers to date), and it also brings an end to HLO travel for most people.

I'd say this is another case of security theatre, except the potential safety risk of a cargo hold battery fire being higher than a terrorist attack makes this arguably less safe for all of us. Insanity! :evil:

 

[JessicaTam]

It's not only laptops, but any electronic device larger than a phone, right? That includes phablets, tablets, laptops, noise-cancelling headphones, cameras, gaming handhelds...

Are we meant to check in photographic equipment as well? If you're going on a holiday, that's risky enough... for photographers, that's a huge opportunity for theft and damage. Not having headphones or BYO entertainment, especially for kids, is going to make flying Y so much more fun for all pax as well (LCCs with IFE options for sale will be laughing though, I'm sure).

I can't imagine insurance will cover these circumstances (though I haven't seen any specific clarification from insurers to date), and it also brings an end to HLO travel for most people.

I'd say this is another case of security theatre, except the potential safety risk of a cargo hold battery fire being higher than a terrorist attack makes this arguably less safe for all of us. Insanity! :evil:

That's the bit I don't like. I might have to take paper and pencil and type my TRs from an internet cafe! And I don't think my (lack of) drawing skills will do any scenery justice.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I wonder if someone will come up with a business idea that you only need to travel with a backup up drive of some sort so that you only carry that, and hire a lappie at the destination airport or something similar to this?

As a precaution, on the current trip, I have a new medium size Samsung SSD USB drive (extremely fast drives) with complete system backup using TrueImage, and a 128G USB stick with extra programs and valuable data also as a backup. So, if the ban means putting laptop (Surface 4) in checkin luggage, and if it gets stolen (as many will) then I just need to go out and buy or rent a new Surface, restore the system in 15 mins and I'm back up and running.

 

[TheRealTMA]

As I understand it, CASA bans lithium batteries in checked luggage. Interesting times.

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip>
Add to the above the fact that no insurance covers a laptop carried in a checked bag. <snip>.

I thought that too, but I just checked my Covermore policy. It does include cover for laptops and more in one's luggage (and 'luggage' here means checked bags). "I" = international, "D"= domestic policies.




Not to say I'd like to rely on this, but coverage is there.

 

[Pushka]

Thanks to an oversight by the repair shop used by Qantas in Adelaide, a fully functioning power drill was left in the section of the carry on case that is zipped up to cover the bars of the handle (which was what needed repairs). We only discovered it as MrP was about to leave for the airport as he'd lost his phone so we were looking in weird places and it started buzzing. I can only imagine how that would have played out at the scanners.

 

[codash1099]

As I understand it, CASA bans lithium batteries in checked luggage. Interesting times.

The real difficulties behind banning laptops and tablet devices in plane cabins in Australia

 

[codash1099]

Could that abacus be construed as a weapon of maths destruction??

Reaching into the dim past:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/playground/a-bit-of-humour-6330.html#post75287

(The first post in the Bit of Humour thread)

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Was just discussing banning laptops with my #1 man here and he relayed story that as he was checking in for J flt MEL-SIN-TPE on Mar 17 he was asked did he have any electronics in his checked baggage - he replied YES iPad mini - check in staff made him remove it and carry on - his wife was not listening and unintentionally did not declare her iPad was in her checked bag also and it just sailed through - go figure.

 

[jb747]

Well, presumably he'll be happy to take responsibility when an aircraft hold fire happens. I'd consider the odds of that to be 100%. But it won't just happen once.

 

[RooFlyer]

JB, any chance that if this becomes a serious proposal (God forbid) and CASA somehow OKs it, the Australian airline industry or maybe parts of it (Flight crews?) will band together and say "We are not taking laptops in the hold because of the fire risk" ?

 

[Danger]

If you want an example of what Li Ion batteries can do in a cargo hold, look at UPS6 as a starting point.

I think that was a bucketload of batteries though.

 

[jb747]

Do you know the best thing about flying in the military?

You always knew when you had a bomb on board.

 

[serfty]

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