I am more qualified than most on this forum for knowing what is and what isn't a distraction when it comes to things like flying / driving etc.
Doubtful.
Anyhow, have you tried putting the laptop on its edge, presumably with the lid down, in something equivalent to a rear seat pocket anywhere else? I've not tried it, but that doesn't exactly sound optimal for an laptop to work well.
It *may* be that it's self protecting from Li-Ion thermal runaway. But, I'd expect that to take longer than that. You do know about that risk however do you? It's the reason why NASA remove the batteries from all the laptops on their research aeroplanes and just run them on aircraft power - a Li-ion fire would very likely destroy a C150.
G