What’s the rule about luggage under the seat in front of you?

[SamYeager]

@mixture

(a) People are so precious about their electronic equipment...
Q. how do you think it gets to you in the first place ?
A. packaged in cardboard, with a bit of foam, stuck in the hold as cargo !

As I'm sure you should be well aware the electronic equipment does not hold any personal/financial/commercial data during delivery so I can fully understand people's concern.

[mixture]

As I'm sure you should be well aware the electronic equipment does not hold any personal/financial/commercial data during delivery so I can fully understand people's concern.

I'm afraid I don't buy that nonsense counter-argument for one reason :

ENCRYPTION

Available on Mac, Windows and Linux, and has been for some time.

What happens if someone steals your laptop from your hotel room / from you at the airport ? How does that differ from the data risks of putting it in the hold ? Exactly ! It doesn't ! If its valuable... encrypt it and back it up !

The only people who treat their electronic equipment like babies and over-react to any dent or scratch are those who don't use their kit in a professional capacity (and indeed, probably haven't even bought professional kit and are fretting over some $300 piece of plastic).

How do you think the likes of the BBC/Reuters/CNN/[insert name of your choice] work when they take vast amounts of high-end kit out to remote locations for filming ? Do you honestly think they keep much (or any) of it attached to them like a baby-carrier ? No. It goes into well padded bags/cases and into the hold.

You don't necessarily need fancy Peli cases either if you feel it would clash with your sense of fashion .... decent suitcases such as Tumi ones are pretty solid and indestructible, in all my years of travel I've yet to see a baggage handler do any damage to a Tumi (infact I've yet to see much damage at all.... all I've seen are a few scuffs and marks on the fabric from the baggage handling machines).

I treat my equipment as it should be... like tools, not babies. And you know what, in all the years I've adopted the policy, its not been damaged once in transit.... infact the only occasion where damage occurred was when the equipment was at arms length from me and in-use .... didn't notice quick release was loose and camera plummeted to the ground.

[paulc]

Mixture,

to replace my 2 camera bodies & 2 lens would be over £5k (pro equipment) and still you wonder why I do not want it in the hold. Its all very well saying insurance but that does not get me replacement equipment immediately.

You menton the big news companies but the people who use that kit do not own in.

[ExXB]

Er, (from BA conditions of carriage)

8f) Fragile or perishable items must not be packed in baggage checked into the hold
You must not include in your checked baggage fragile or perishable items or items of special value such as:

money
jewellery
precious metals
computers
personal electronic devices
share certificates, bonds and other valuable documents
business documents or
passports and other identification documents.

Note that they don't say 'should not' they say 'must not'. You are not given a choice.

[iggie]

mixture

What is meant by 'ICU out and with you'?

[Mr Optimistic]

What's the big issue with checking in baggage? We are a long time dead, the odd 20 minutes isn't much of an issue. On business trips my personal productivity is so high that the company share price drops if I am seen to be inactive for half an hour.