miscord@hubcap.clemson.edu (Michael Scordilis) (08/20/90)
Thanks to all who have sent me messages about travelling with a Mac.
Here is a summary of the responses I received.
Michael Scordilis
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Hi. I have a mac se, and I usually use one of the carrying cases that you
can get for 60-80 dollars, but i've only flown from L.A. to San Fran. If
you use the carrying case (I'm not sure what your IO case is), it should
fit into one of the above bins, esp. if you are on anything larger than a
DC-10. (overseas - 747? - should be no problem).
Some stewardesses are really cool and let you put it into their storage area
if there is room, or even in the front closet where people can stick their
hanging bags.
About X-raying, they usually don't, BUT you have to show them that the comp.
is real, meaning that you have to plug it in at the security station and
power it up, showing that it works.
I dont have a hard disk so I'm not sure about laying it down on its back.
If you really have any worries, you can always call the airline and ask about their regulations.
Hope this helps,
Dave Hsu
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I don't know what an I/O Design bag is, but a standard-sized Mac bag (the sort
that's tall enough to hold the normal keyboard but not an extended one) fits
under the seat of most jet aircraft (on its side; that's fine, as far as I
know). It will not fit under the seat of a commuter turboprop; either check it
or wedge it between an adjoining seat and the seat in front of it.
No problem with the x-ray. Backups are always a good idea, esp. when you're
travelling, though.
I never realized until I tried it how heavy a compact Mac could be when you're
carrying it for more than a few minutes. By the end of my recent trip I felt
my shoulder was being sliced off. Do not attempt to use public transportation
to/from the airport.
Boris Levitin
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WGBH Public Broadcasting, Boston boris@world.std.com
Audience & Marketing Research wgbx!boris_levitin@athena.mit.edu
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(The opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily coincide
with those of my employer or anyone else. The WGBH tag is for ID only.)
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One thing to be prepared for when you go through security at the airport is that
they may ask you to plug in and startup the Mac. This is to ensure that there
is, in fact, something inside the case besides 5 pounds of plastique.
So... Make sure you remember your power cord, a friend of mine forgot once
and was very unhappy when they denied him access to his flight. Also
allow time for all this, if you're late and they want to check it "My flight
is about to leave" won't have much effect.
-Geoff
geoffb@Dartmouth.EDU | Student Consultant
Dartmouth Class of 1991. | Kiewit Computation Center
HB 338, Dartmouth College | HB 6028, Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755 (603) 643-1641 | Hanover, NH 03755 (603) 646-3417
--------------------------------
Having the mac on its back is fine. I've had to travel with mine back anbd
forth to school this year, and I've had no problem with this.
Having the mac fit under the airline seat is a problem. The first trip I
ended up having to remove my seat cushion to fit the mac underneath. The
other times I decided to let them sent it as luggage, but make sure it is
hand loaded. Very important. Some places throw luggage onto a plane
via a catapult - not very mac friendly.
If you decide to carry it on, be forewarned that they will probably not
XRay it (if you ask them not to) but will make you plug it in and
verify that there really is a computer inside.
--
Michael A. Schoen
AT&T Bell Laboratories (provided for identification only)
mas@ulysses.att.com
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I've flown with a Mac Plus and SE, and they have always fit either under the
seat or in an overhead bin. In one case I had to pull the Mac out of the
carrying bag. It isn't fun on a crowded plane.
---------------------------------------
Well, i can't help you with the first question really, but when i took
a Mac Plus through a year or two ago, they didn't run it through the X-ray
machine, they just wanted me to turn it on and prove that it "worked".
The Plus i took through layed on it's side the whole trip with no
obvious ill effects.
Hope this helps...
johan
--
eggplant@walt.cc.utexas.edu ing tough emission standards from man-made
sources." --Ronald Wilson Reagan
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hi michael,
maybe you should also start wondering if the se/30 will cope with our
220V/50Hz power here. i honestly don't know if it does...
greetings, christian.
------------------------------------
All you do is plug it in in Europe and use it.
Make sure you dont't have it processed by X ray machines.
Not the XRays can do damage but the magnets of the motors
driving the belts.
I am typing this message on a mac se/30 that happily crossed the ocean.
Good luck!
------------------------------------
You really don't want to take your Mac through an X-ray machine. Really. You
may not only lose the data from your hard disk, but you also may fry you SE/30.
Computers tend to be a bit vulnerable to being irradiated. Make the people at
the airport hand inspect the machine. They will probably want you to turn it onto prove that it doesn't have a bomb in it or anything, so make sure you have
a power cord handy. Midway Airport in Chicago actually has a table with outletsfor checking sensitive electronics like computers. Just be glad you are taking
a computer and not just an external HD. It is mighty hard to convince the
security guards that all it is supposed to do is hum and flash a little LED on
and off :^) Just don't let them X-ray it!!!
Lawrence Miller
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I've travelled with my SE/30 many times. No problems. You don't X-ray the
thing; the security personnel ask you to plug it in and turn it on. They just
want to see something appear on the screen. The bag I have will fit in the
overhead bin, but under the seat is totally impossible. Having the Mac on
its side has no consequences that I'm aware of.
Gee, now that I look at what I wrote, that's pretty choppy. Well, I was just
answering your questions as they came! In any case... write if you have any
more questions.
-Dave
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When you bought your Mac, it probably came with a plastic disk-substitute
stuck in the floppy drive. I believe this is to protect the disk head
during bumpy shipping. If you have this, pop it in. If not, a floppy
works as well, I hear (use one you don't care about, natch).
-- Mike Morton // P.O. Box 11299, Honolulu, HI 96828, (808) 676-6966 HST
Internet: mikem@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu
(anagrams): Mr. Machine Tool; Ethical Mormon; Chosen Immortal; etc.
------------------------------------
Make sure to check with your local customs office as to whether you need to
do something before you take it out in order to prove that it's yours, used
etc. or you may end up paying taxes in the country where you are going as
well as in the US when (if) you come back.
Carlo.
--
carlo@cvs.rochester.edu
------------------------------------
I did exactly the same thing, although coast to coast, not across the
Atlantic. I flew American, and had no troubles with the size of the
machine - it fit into an overhead compartment, snugly. It lay on its
back the whole way. The x-rays didn't seem to do anything bad to it.
The only problem was when I took it out, it didn't recognize the hard
drive as a startup disk. I played around for a while and eventually got
a 'bad device driver' message or some such. I ran HD Setup, clicked
update driver, and then reinstalled the system folder, and all was well.
Lost no data whatsoever. Having a backup is, of course, always a good
idea. Enjoy!
--
Draphsor vo'drun-Aelf draphsor@portia.stanford.edu
------------------------------------
They will most likely not let you take it on the plane - I've
been stopped trying to take a mac+ in a soft carry sac. The
safest way to get a Mac to travel is to send it in the original
packaging. You DID keep the original packaging, of course?
Setting it sideways is survivable, but avoid it when you can.
hope it helps,
Jim Deane
Mac Technician/grad student/diver
--
James "Rebel Without A Clue" Deane Institute for Astronomy
deane@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu 2680 Woodlawn Dr
"My God, it's full of *s!" Honolulu, HI 96822
------------------------------------
In article <10141@hubcap.clemson.edu> you write:
>My Mac SE/30 and I will be crossing the Atlantic soon on a big airplane.
>I am sure there are others that have gone through it. I wonder if anybody
>can help out with some questions that I have
I took my SE/30 to Italy last year. On the way out I managed to sneak it on as
cabin baggage, but on the return they insisted on putting it in the hold (bad
tactics on my part - I had it on a luggage trolley, instead of nonchalantly slung
over my back). They also insisted on X-raying it. However, I have to say that it
survived all these rigours perfectly. I have seen no signs of damage.
...but of course, I accept NO liability if you are not so fortunate!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Alistair Edwards
University of York, York, England YO1 5DD
earn/bitnet: alistair@minster.york.ac.uk
arpanet: alistair@minster.york.ac.uk
internet: alistair%minster.york.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
usenet: ukc!minster!alistair
phone: +44 904 432775 fax: +44 904 432767
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Try boarding early (with permission), and placing it in one of the
hanging-bag compartments. It should sit nicely on the floor.
I've done that mny times, but sometimes you have to be a little
insistant.
Jeff
--
| RIT VAX/VMS Systems: | Jeff Wasilko | RIT Ultrix Systems: |
|BITNET: jjwcmp@ritvax +----------------------+ INET:jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu|
|INTERNET: jjwcmp@ritvax.rit.edu |____UUCP:jjwcmp@ultb.UUCP____|
|'claimer: I speak only for myself. Opinions expressed are NOT those of RIT.|
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1. I chose not to put my Mac through the X-Ray machine. I don't
know if it will harm the HD, but I wasn't taking any chances.
If you choose not to run it through, make sure you have your
power cord. They will make you turn it on.
2. On some planes, the Mac will fit under the seat. In fact, on
one plane it fit in the overhead compartment. I think as long
as you choose shut down before packing up your Mac, it should
be fine on its back, side, etc. (choosing shut down parks the
drive heads). In any case, the flight attendants were more than
happy to help find a place for the Mac. In one instance I had
to strap it into the seat next to me. Just for reference, I flew
Delta.
3. You may want to do some physical training. It's not much fun to
sprint across the airport to catch that connecting flight with
your Mac hanging on your shoulder.
By the way, my name is Michael Quattlebaum. I am one of the Apple Student
Reps here at Clemson. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions
or concern about Apple products at Clemson.
Michael Quattlebaum
Apple Student Rep
Clemson University
AppleLink: ST0673
Internet: dragon@hubcap.clemson.edu
------------------------------------
Make sure you carry an adaptor (for UK/european plugs) for the return
trip. The security folks will want to see it *WORKING* before they let
it on the plane.
Kevin Purcell | kpurcell@liverpool.ac.uk
Surface Science Centre |
Liverpool University | Omit needless words.
------------------------------------