Anyone travelled with laptops etc. lately through Manchester Airport security? I've usually done it with a smartphone, a tablet and e-reader and they just x-ray the hand luggage. When I once took a laptop on a flight to Belfast for work it had to be x-rayed separately.
I understand they want to x-ray everything and see it powered on. Which is fine but I'm wondering about knock on effect for delays. I will also be taking my phone, work phone, work laptop, my laptop and a tablet.... So if there's more like me the delays could be bad.
And then I'll have to do it all again coming back from Munich.
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Just make sure your battery doesn't die as you get there, or you won't be taking it with you.
It's at least partly theatre. There's been endless discussions on t'webs about how easy it would be to knock up a little device that sits in your laptop case and simulates the boot up sequence, leaving space inside it for terrorist goblins or whatever it is we are terroristed about this week.
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"I will also be taking my phone, work phone, work laptop, my laptop and a tablet."
Does sort of beg the question why? And what about a Kindle?
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>> Does sort of beg the question why? And what about a Kindle?
The work laptop and phone are needed because I am going for business. I will be taking my own phone and my own laptop (Macbook) too. For reading ebooks etc. I'll want a tablet or my Kindle but the 7" tablet is more useful.
I have toyed with the idea of not taking the Macbook but I'll watch some movies etc (and I won't bore you with why using the work laptop won't be such a good option). And the business trip is actually a training course so the Mac will be used to read the course notes and labs when I use the work laptop for the actual course.
There's no way I'd put my Macbook in the hold. And my employer wouldn't be too happy if I stuck the work laptop in there either. Although it is encrypted.
These checks are more to do with being seen to check things for the sake of it. e.g. my work laptop has a removable DVD drive module. It can be swapped for an extra hard disk, extra battery or simply a blank module to reduce weight. What's stopping you stuffing something in that space? Laptop would still work fine.
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If you need to take them all in the cabin then looks like it will be a bit of a faff going through security checks. I can't see anyway around it.
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Could you leave some of the stuff in your hold luggage? You wouldn't need all that just for the journey?
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>> Could you leave some of the stuff in your hold luggage? You wouldn't need all that just for the journey?
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I would not want laptops in the hold.
I want them in the cabin where they can be dealt with if they decide to self destruct.
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I've put them in the hold before if I don't need them in the cabin. I might do it more often if you have to faff about turning them all on and off, particularly if I fly with work and we have to connect through somewhere. Going through airports is a pain already without faffing about turning every device on and off.
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Just thought I'd check with the airline and you can only take one laptop in hand luggage anyway. And if you have a laptop I don't think you can have a tablet as well. Might need a rethink anyway.
I'd prefer my laptop than the works one... Oh well.
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But Manchester Airport says you can have more than one laptop.... Hmm.
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They can't exactly say, "You've got too much stuff" at security because the airline would murder them afterwards if they denied you boarding.
Having said that, Manchester security tend to have their own little bubble and seem to take great pleasure in inconveniencing the travelling public so the above might count for nowt. It takes me about eight trays to get through and they've never said anything (suitcase, briefcase, jacket, hat, phone, liquids, iPad, laptop, and usually a small one for the loose change I've forgotten.
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Every time I have traveled with electronic kit (Heathrow, Gatwick & Stanstead mainly) they insist on electronic kit ~ phone, pad, laptop, iPod ~ being put in a separate tray and sent through the X-ray machine conveyer. Now the guidance is to make sure they all have sufficient battery power to power up and show they are what they purport to be
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>> They can't exactly say, "You've got too much stuff" at security because the airline would
>> murder them afterwards if they denied you boarding.
But the airline said one laptop and Manchester airport says as many as you like as long as they power on and are within the hand luggage weight limit (I think Lufthansa is 8kg anyway).
But I do realise I need to power up the devices. If they want to see an O/S running on the work laptop it takes ages to boot or resume from hibernate due to encryption :-)
One thing about airport security I always wondered about.... How do they know something isn't handed on to another passenger on another plane after security? You could go through with no laptop and board with half a dozen. I assume it's down to trust.
I've only taken a laptop through security once and I knew it needed x-raying separately.
Now I suppose I could virtualise the work laptop and take only the Mac (multiple desktops easy to flick between) and also the Kindle. But I might not be allowed to plug it in the office in Munich.
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The gate, (where rules will be airline specific), can impose any rules it likes. Just because you went through generic security is not carte blanche to board the aircraft. Different airlines have different bag sizes/weight restrictions and if you turned up with a trunk full of 'duty free' items do you really suppose they would let you into the cabin?
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>> But I do realise I need to power up the devices. If they want to
>> see an O/S running on the work laptop it takes ages to boot or resume
>> from hibernate due to encryption :-)
>
1) Boot it in the queue. You'll have plenty of time.
2) Do not mention encryption. Only criminals hide things in the modern world.
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>> 2) Do not mention encryption. Only criminals hide things in the modern world.
:-) you have to logon to the encryption partition before Windows itself will load.
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Start in the car park. It'll be done by the time you get there.
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I was probably going to leave it suspended. It's not as if it won't be on my person during that time.
Funny how you think it's only criminals that use encryption. It's a necessary precaution in the IT industry. Laptops get stolen you know and they can contain sensitive data. For really sensitive stuff, we also have to use additional encryption for some files and emails. You can't go sending an email with IP addresses or passwords unencrypted for some customers.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 22 Jul 14 at 16:07
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They do not need to see an OS booted, and you can quite legitimately say its encrypted.
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Yeah, I was being facetious. Obviously I understand the need for encryption legitimately (I'm in IT myself) but there is a perception that airport security staff move from "encrypted" to "latex gloves and a tub of lard" only too quickly, especially in the States.
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I checked Lufthansa website again and it seems I can take 8kg hand luggage and a laptop case. I planned on taking one item with everything in it. So I think I could take it all.
I rarely carry my work laptop anywhere. Stuck it in my rucksack with the Macbook to weight it. 5kg total. Take out Macbook... 4kg total. Wish I didn't need to take the work laptop at all to be honest. I can VPN into it at home to check emails and I could run a Windows VM on the Mac for the course.
I think I need a new work laptop that's about 3kg lighter! I will be walking from hotel to office each day both ways which might get warm with 5kg of laptops.
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I manage fine travelling with an iphone and an iPad only most of the time, but then I'm not even slightly "in" IT.
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When I was in London earlier this year for work (another course) I took only my mobile and Android 7" tablet. I VPN'd into home to check emails etc. on the laptop that I'd left on.
Trouble this time is I need the laptop for the course. So it has to go with me. The Macbook will be a nice to have and useful for the course too. And it only weighs a kilo.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 22 Jul 14 at 17:47
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Airport Security and Electronic Equipment - Crankcase
