For years I have flown on planes and carried my laptop along with my normal bag with no problem, but when I went to Glasgow airport for my return

flight back to Thailand with Emirates, I was told I was only allowed one walk on bag, I said "what do you want me to do, just leave my laptop behind?" I was told to put it

in my walk on bag, I managed to do this.

 

I then went upstairs to security and was told to take my laptop out of my walk on bag. I was expecting this and did so, I told the security lady that I had to put it

in my bag only for it to be taken out again, she just laughed.

 

So what is it with Emirates at Glasgow airport with stupidity like this, is it just that each Emirates check in desks just make up their own rules?

I did not have this problem at Swampy or Dubai.

 

just let them play their little games...

 

 

... in your case,

simply only concern yourself that your batteries are charged up,

so that you can prove it is a working laptop, & not a 'Berm'

The 2 encounters are not integrated.

 

The first encounter (check-in) deals with a number of issues including filtering out numpties who try to take too much stuff (You are not a numpty). It is difficult to enforce this whilst maintaining customer relations and also efficiently loading passengers. One way is weight (check-in luggage is weighed). Another way is volume (hand luggage has to be under certain dimensions and there are frames to check this). Another way is simply to count bags (quick and easy). I would like to impose heavy fines on passengers with BMI's in the overweight and above ranges but that is just my personal preference.

 

The second encounter (security) deals with filtering out terrorists who wish to bomb the plane. (You are not a terrorist). In order to ensure your laptop is not a bomb it needs to be x-rayed outside the bag or bags in your case.

 

That is why you had to place your laptop in your hand luggage (to demonstrate you only had one item of hand luggage) and then soon after take it out (to prove it was not a bomb). The same with your jacket and your shoes (if you had checked-in with your jacket folded over your arm and your shoes tied around your neck).

 

I hope this helps.

Briggsy's explanation was spot on, but he forgot to mention that another motive is to irritate you into reaching deeper into your pocket the next time you fly, to pay for the next class of ticket that probably allows you some more latitude in your luggage and your carry on. 

 

For only a few hundred or thousand dollars more...

 

1 hour ago, tifino said:

 

just let them play their little games...

 

 

... in your case,

simply only concern yourself that your batteries are charged up,

so that you can prove it is a working laptop, & not a 'Berm'

Your right, but what If I could not have fitted my laptop bag into my cabin bag, my bag had to weigh no more than 7Ks between the bag and the laptop.

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

The 2 encounters are not integrated.

 

The first encounter (check-in) deals with a number of issues including filtering out numpties who try to take too much stuff (You are not a numpty). It is difficult to enforce this whilst maintaining customer relations and also efficiently loading passengers. One way is weight (check-in luggage is weighed). Another way is volume (hand luggage has to be under certain dimensions and there are frames to check this). Another way is simply to count bags (quick and easy). I would like to impose heavy fines on passengers with BMI's in the overweight and above ranges but that is just my personal preference.

 

The second encounter (security) deals with filtering out terrorists who wish to bomb the plane. (You are not a terrorist). In order to ensure your laptop is not a bomb it needs to be x-rayed outside the bag or bags in your case.

 

That is why you had to place your laptop in your hand luggage (to demonstrate you only had one item of hand luggage) and then soon after take it out (to prove it was not a bomb). The same with your jacket and your shoes (if you had checked-in with your jacket folded over your arm and your shoes tied around your neck).

 

I hope this helps.

Yes it does, but now I will have to find out what airline desks in what countries allow or don't allow you to check in with your laptop separately from your cabin bag. I really would like to know if any TV member has ever had this problem.

How big was the bag your laptop was in? 

 

Most airlines I fly allow "one carry on plus a personal item like a purse", but a lot of people seem to think that means a second full size carry on bag.  I've also seen people with an entire cart full of shopping bags in addition to their one carry on.

 

Over the years, I've randomly had to put books, laptops, and other items into that carry-on at the check in kiosk, only to re-separate them once I got my boarding pass.  Lots of people also buy gifts and goodies in the departure lounge and carry them on.  It's only when the plane is extremely full that I've ever seen any scrutiny upon actual boarding. 

 

I think the fact that your excess bag was a laptop is skewing your perception of what happened because you had to take it out at security.  Had it been anything else, it wouldn't have been singled out at security. 

 

Your best course of action would have been to keep it separated after passing security.  The worst that could happen is you would have been asked to put it back in upon boarding, and that's unlikely.

 

If you're looking for a definitive answer, best of luck.  It depends on the gate personnel, the airline, and what's happening in the war on terror that week.

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

but what If I could not have fitted my laptop bag into my cabin bag, my bag had to weigh no more than 7Ks between the bag and the laptop.

 

That's what the roll of Duct Tape is for (ask @Crossy)

Also, just chuck the ashtray, glass tumblers and bathrobe that got nicked from the last place you stayed ...that should reduce some weight and give you room for the laptop. 

 

Seriously, you're lucky you weren't flying while they were banning laptops.

 

US ends controversial laptop ban on flights from Middle East

www.theguardian.com  |  Thursday 20 July 2017

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Yes it does, but now I will have to find out what airline desks in what countries allow or don't allow you to check in with your laptop separately from your cabin bag. I really would like to know if any TV member has ever had this problem.

Usually, it is specified in the terms and conditions of your ticket, in the small print.

 

However, as you correctly point out there are some airports or countries who then impose even stricter conditions. These are unusual though.

 

I fly Manchester or Heathrow to Bangkok regularly, often with Etihad but with other airlines too. I have never had to put my laptop, which I always carry, in my hand luggage. This is as it should be under the Etihad conditions.

1 hour ago, impulse said:

How big was the bag your laptop was in? 

 

Most airlines I fly allow "one carry on plus a personal item like a purse", but a lot of people seem to think that means a second full size carry on bag.  I've also seen people with an entire cart full of shopping bags in addition to their one carry on.

 

Over the years, I've randomly had to put books, laptops, and other items into that carry-on at the check in kiosk, only to re-separate them once I got my boarding pass.  Lots of people also buy gifts and goodies in the departure lounge and carry them on.  It's only when the plane is extremely full that I've ever seen any scrutiny upon actual boarding. 

 

I think the fact that your excess bag was a laptop is skewing your perception of what happened because you had to take it out at security.  Had it been anything else, it wouldn't have been singled out at security. 

 

Your best course of action would have been to keep it separated after passing security.  The worst that could happen is you would have been asked to put it back in upon boarding, and that's unlikely.

 

If you're looking for a definitive answer, best of luck.  It depends on the gate personnel, the airline, and what's happening in the war on terror that week.

It was only a small case with a small laptop (the ones that split into two) and the accessories. I have seen lots of plane passengers carrying laptops over and above their max 7 Ks cabin bag.

33 minutes ago, RichCor said:

 

That's what the roll of Duct Tape is for (ask @Crossy)

Also, just chuck the ashtray, glass tumblers and bathrobe that got nicked from the last place you stayed ...that should reduce some weight and give you room for the laptop. 

 

Seriously, you're lucky you weren't flying while they were banning laptops.

 

US ends controversial laptop ban on flights from Middle East

www.theguardian.com  |  Thursday 20 July 2017

 

 

 

 

As far as I'm aware, there was never any ban on any laptops between Thailand and European countries.

Also, I will have to stop nicking things from hotel rooms, better just  stick to 7-11s. 

11 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

As far as I'm aware, there was never any ban on any laptops between Thailand and European countries.

Also, I will have to stop nicking things from hotel rooms, better just  stick to 7-11s. 

 

No, but for a short period there was a ban on laptops on Gulf carriers (& some others) for flights to/from the UK so effectively that would also mean flights between the UK and Thailand on those carriers.

The increasing restrictions on laptops etc. in checked baggage aren't about the devices themselves but rather the Lithium Ion batteries that power them.

 

It seems likely that these restrictions are going to get more and more strict and it will only take one incident somewhere before they are banned completely. I think this is a pretty serious issue confronting the airline industry right now.

26 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

It was only a small case with a small laptop (the ones that split into two) and the accessories. I have seen lots of plane passengers carrying laptops over and above their max 7 Ks cabin bag.

 

And that's the rub.  The T&C's limit it to 7kg, but they'd lose way too many customers if they actually enforced it, so we're stuck with the luck of the draw and the mood of the personnel.

 

I once got called out by Asiana for having way more than 7kg in my carry-on.  At that time, my huge laptop alone went close to 6kg.  The guy was very helpful (or maybe just patronizing) and explained that the reason for the 7kg limit was to reduce the risk of injuring someone pulling a 20kg bag out of the overhead.  His solution for me was to have me put 2 or 3 books into a canvas sack that I carried so my carry-on went under 10kg and the sack was my "personal item".  Which, of course, is pretty much diametrically opposite to your situation.

 

So I just quit guessing, and say "yes, sir", "no ma'am", and "I'm sorry" on those occasions when I get caught out.   I miss the old days when flying was special, but not those ticket prices...  Cheap tickets make up for a lot of the hassle, and there's always Business and First Class if I get too old to put up with those hassles.

 

 

go hi-tech...

consolidate...

 

and go power up with button cells

 

besides... who needs a screen anyway??

 

and the bonus is that Lithium batteries weren't even retailed back then...

 

17 minutes ago, thedemon said:

The increasing restrictions on laptops etc. in checked baggage aren't about the devices themselves but rather the Lithium Ion batteries that power them.

 

It seems likely that these restrictions are going to get more and more strict and it will only take one incident somewhere before they are banned completely. I think this is a pretty serious issue confronting the airline industry right now.

I need a laptop for my entertainment on a 12 hour flight, If laptops were ever banned on flights, I think I would just live the rest of my life here in Thailand.