Potential Laptop/Electronics Ban - Looking for Opinions/Options

[pake]

So smartphones are OK? Is this a conspiracy by the smartphone lobby to put the final nail in the coffin for the camera industry?

Flying into Canada will not help. In many things, Canada and the United States are effectively the same entity. Air travel is one of them. That's why you'll see uniformed US customs and immigration officials in Canadian airports. In many US airports, flights to Canada are grouped in with domestic. When coming through immigration, Canadian passport holders are grouped in with US passport holders. Everyone else goes to foreign passports. To be politically correct, I tend to say "North America" now instead of US or Canada when referring to such things. Although last week when I said I could tell someone was Canadian by her accent, she objected and said I could do no such thing. She insisted she had no accent.

According to our media: yes, smartphones are OK (until Samsung introduces more exploding models...).

Since I have an insurance my main worry isn't the money but the tiny chance of losing my gear/photos:
1) no camera on vacation means vacation ruined (yes, my vacations are 90% about taking photos)
2) losing camera + photo backups would be even more catastrophic (which is why I store photos on camera, laptop and a 128GB SSD USB-stick).

My insurance company will pay the gear but no one / nothing will make up for the lost pictures.

PS. As a security specialist I know not to store any important/delicate information on my laptop and I treat it as the data inside will get leaked/stolen. That still doesn't mean I'd be happy to lose it though.

 

[AllanG]

Well there is one possibility that no-one has mentioned.
Reasoning that the the likely hood of your cargo bag/luggage may be opened or interfered with, then my suggestion is to go to a local welfare store and purchase a good looking film camera with a big/crappy lens on it and leave it in plain sight at the top of the bag. Your "good"camera and single lens such as a O14-150 or P14-140 lens is in a clothing bag snuggled underneath your clothing. I would still insure the good camera though in case a perpetrator with an IQ above the normal moron status does rifle through you belongings. There are steel wires which can thread through the bag and through the eyelets of the camera which could be padlocked to the structure of the suitcase to deter theft.
Just thinking of options.
If the film camera is snatched then $25 should replace it.

 

[kiwirobfinland]

According to our media: yes, smartphones are OK (until Samsung introduces more exploding models...).

Since I have an insurance my main worry isn't the money but the tiny chance of losing my gear/photos:
1) no camera on vacation means vacation ruined (yes, my vacations are 90% about taking photos)
2) losing camera + photo backups would be even more catastrophic (which is why I store photos on camera, laptop and a 128GB SSD USB-stick).

My insurance company will pay the gear but no one / nothing will make up for the lost pictures.

PS. As a security specialist I know not to store any important/delicate information on my laptop and I treat it as the data inside will get leaked/stolen. That still doesn't mean I'd be happy to lose it though.

Which insuraer do you use .
We use to have IF now we have Lähitapola nether covers cameras( i dont know about laptops) if they are put in the plane hold.
Like your self for me 90% of going on holday is takeing photos so finding icurance that covers the new rules would be cool.

 

[ijm5012]

Which insuraer do you use .
We use to have IF now we have Lähitapola nether covers cameras( i dont know about laptops) if they are put in the plane hold.
Like your self for me 90% of going on holday is takeing photos so finding icurance that covers the new rules would be cool.

I obviously don't know how insurance works in Finland, but here in the US I have a separate policy through my insurer that covers all of my camera equipment. It covers my gear anywhere in the world, from loss, theft, damage, etc. So if I'm on holiday and something happens to my gear, I'll be covered.

It's not so much an issue for me, because I'll only have to deal with this electronics ban on my trip home (getting the gear over to Europe wont' be an issue in my carry-on). But for Europeans that wish to come to the US, it's more of a hassle because if your gear is stolen or damaged on the trip over, you now don't have any way to take photos during your trip.

I agree, I thoroughly enjoy documenting vacations with photos and videos.

 

[bassman]

For those of you traveling with an E-M1.2, you can copy an SD card from one slot to another. On just last trip, I brought two extra (slow) cards for each primary, and copied to one of them each evening. Since it reformats the target card before the copy, you have a complete backup and a backup minus the current day after you finish.

I only shot about 30G, but it copied that much to a UHS-I card pretty quickly.

Presumably you can travel home with the SD cards in your pocket, assuming enough of your camera gear arrived at your destination in working order. I'm traveling to Southern Africa this summer, so I will be watching this issue carefully.

 

[Mike Wingate]

Australia are implementing the laptop ban.

 

[listers_nz]

Australia are implementing the laptop ban

Australia are considering implementing the laptop ban, however, at present they have a law prohibiting the carrying of lithium batteries in checked baggage. So it isn't just that airlines prohibit it, it is actually illegal to put an item with lithium batteries in a checked bag (which isn't actually the case in the USA as I understand it)

So unless they change that law, it will end up being a total ban on even taking laptops, and that will not please the airlines, as it will upset all of their best paying business passengers.

 

[Geoff3DMN]

and you would need to provide proof of identity in order to collect your valuables bag

Yes, that's going to work well, because no airline has ever lost my luggage...
(oh hang on they have).

 

[lenshoarder]

Australia are considering implementing the laptop ban, however, at present they have a law prohibiting the carrying of lithium batteries in checked baggage. So it isn't just that airlines prohibit it, it is actually illegal to put an item with lithium batteries in a checked bag (which isn't actually the case in the USA as I understand it)

So unless they change that law, it will end up being a total ban on even taking laptops, and that will not please the airlines, as it will upset all of their best paying business passengers.

In my understanding, it's the same rule in the US/UK/Australia/China and in most countries concerning lithium ion batteries in checked baggage. Most rules are not country specific since by it's nature air travel is international. So most rules are adopted around the globe. The rule is that spare loose li-ion batteries cannot be in checked batteries. The concern is that loose batteries can have their terminals shorted and thus cause a fire. A li-ion battery in a device, such as a laptop, is not considered a loose battery and thus can be checked in. I think China takes this a step further and also bans li-ion based battery chargers from checked baggage as well. Of all the countries that I've flown out of, the Chinese are the most thorough when it comes to li-ion batteries. Not only will they enforce the spare loose battery rule in checked baggage with vigor, but they will also thoroughly inspect any batteries, including battery based chargers, for appropriate ratings and safety labels. If in doubt, they will confiscate. I've had them confiscate my batteries and judging from the pile they put it into, I'm not alone.

 

[pondball]

so someone here (sorry, can't remember who) suggested taping the contacts on the batteries and placing the spare batteries in individual bags... is this ok... and if so, do they go in checked baggage or can they go in a carry-on camera bag?
what type of tape? painter's tape would have the least amount of gumminess wouldn't it?

 

[lenshoarder]

so someone here (sorry, can't remember who) suggested taping the contacts on the batteries and placing the spare batteries in individual bags... is this ok... and if so, do they go in checked baggage or can they go in a carry-on camera bag?
what type of tape? painter's tape would have the least amount of gumminess wouldn't it?

My understanding is that spare loose batteries cannot be checked in period. So you would have to put those in your carry ons. If in your carry ons, you don't have to do anything special. I believe the limit is two spare batteries. Also at Chinese airports at least, the size of the battery is limited.

I just googled and these are the Canadian rules. I believe these are the same rules on size that I referred to with China. Which makes sense. China just makes it more apparent by having big signs at security talking about li-ion batteries in depth.

Guidelines for Batteries | CATSA | ACSTA

 

[Ranger Rick]

so someone here (sorry, can't remember who) suggested taping the contacts on the batteries and placing the spare batteries in individual bags... is this ok... and if so, do they go in checked baggage or can they go in a carry-on camera bag?
what type of tape? painter's tape would have the least amount of gumminess wouldn't it?

Gaffer tape over the terminals

 

[listers_nz]

In my understanding, it's the same rule in the US/UK/Australia/China and in most countries concerning lithium ion batteries in checked baggage.

I believe it is not quite that simple. In the USA & UK it is not actually prohibited by law to put lithium batteries in checked baggage, hence why they have been able to implement the ban that is already in place so quickly. Whereas in Australia, the EU, and no-doubt other countries, it is actually illegal to check in your lithium batteries, and hence the implementation of a laptop ban which required them to be put in checked bags would require a law change, which is not always so straightforward

 

[wlewisiii]

Drive to Canada and fly from there. Never use a US carrier again.

 

[Replytoken]

I obviously don't know how insurance works in Finland, but here in the US I have a separate policy through my insurer that covers all of my camera equipment. It covers my gear anywhere in the world, from loss, theft, damage, etc. So if I'm on holiday and something happens to my gear, I'll be covered.

Just a note to those of us in the US about insurance policies. I talked with my agent about a policy to cover my gear and he was happy to offer a product. But, I also asked him what would happen if I had to file a claim. He said that they would pay the claim, but that it would go on my record and be considered when my other policies came up for renewal. Knowing that some companies have been known to pay a claim and then cancel their policies, I thought it might be better to have my camera policy with a different carrier. It may still go on my insurance record, but at least it would not impact my home and auto policies. I am not saying this is the case for all companies, but it is a good question to ask your agent before purchasing. Insurance companies, even the good ones, are not happy with customers who file claims, and may cancel policies after payment.

Good luck,

--Ken

 

[wjiang]

Just a note to those of us in the US about insurance policies. I talked with my agent about a policy to cover my gear and he was happy to offer a product. But, I also asked him what would happen if I had to file a claim. He said that they would pay the claim, but that it would go on my record and be considered when my other policies came up for renewal. Knowing that some companies have been known to pay a claim and then cancel their policies, I thought it might be better to have my camera policy with a different carrier. It may still go on my insurance record, but at least it would not impact my home and auto policies. I am not saying this is the case for all companies, but it is a good question to ask your agent before purchasing. Insurance companies, even the good ones, are not happy with customers who file claims, and may cancel policies after payment.

Good luck,

--Ken

How do they expect to keep customers if they just drop any that actually make use of the insurance? That doesn't seem to be how things work where I live...

 

[Replytoken]

How do they expect to keep customers if they just drop any that actually make use of the insurance? That doesn't seem to be how things work where I live...

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this is the MO for much of the insurance industry in the US. They love you as long as you continue to pay your premiums and file no claims. As I said, good carriers will pay on a claim without hassle. But, what happens after that is always a bit in question. My auto insurance company allows me the grace of an accident by giving me points for a good record, and then taking away those points for a claim. Run our of points and I can either expect a rate increase or cancellation. I suspect it is most easily seen in auto insurance. Have a teenager who gets into an accident, expect to see a big increase or cancellation. They are very risk averse, and I suspect that there are statistics that support that MO. I could go on, but out of respect for no political conversations, I will just leave it with the recommendation that you ask your agent what happens to your policies if you make a claim (or two). They may say nothing, or they could advise you that you should really think about any possible claim.

--Ken

 

[PJ2]

The BBC reports US and EU officials have decided against a ban on laptops and tablets in cabin baggage on flights from Europe. Thank Heavens.

 

[pake]

Which insuraer do you use .
We use to have IF now we have Lähitapola nether covers cameras( i dont know about laptops) if they are put in the plane hold.
Like your self for me 90% of going on holday is takeing photos so finding icurance that covers the new rules would be cool.

Hmmm... We have LähiTapiola as well but I haven't noticed that kind "exclusion". I'll definitely have to dig into this since I wouldn't want any unpleasant surprises if something did happen. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[barry]

I think China takes this a step further and also bans li-ion based battery chargers from checked baggage as well. Of all the countries that I've flown out of, the Chinese are the most thorough when it comes to li-ion batteries. Not only will they enforce the spare loose battery rule in checked baggage with vigor, but they will also thoroughly inspect any batteries, including battery based chargers, for appropriate ratings and safety labels. If in doubt, they will confiscate. I've had them confiscate my batteries and judging from the pile they put it into, I'm not alone.

Yeah, they tossed a little 2600mAh USB portable battery pack I had on me (and placed in an inspection tray) because the capacity wasn't clearly labeled. Of course it was too small to be over the limit, but they didn't care.