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Laptops at airports


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I always take my laptop and photography gear with me as hand luggage. The airport x-ray machines will have no effect at all on your laptop and any memory sticks / cards.

 

Are you sure ? - I read somewhere x-rays (and other detection systems) can corrupt the info. on the hard drive/memory sticks etc...

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Are you sure ? - I read somewhere x-rays (and other detection systems) can corrupt the info. on the hard drive/memory sticks etc...

 

I'm quite sure, memory cards, sticks, hard drives ect are not sensitive to airport x-ray machines and will not be effected, although of course that's not to say something could go wrong and corrupt a memory card or hard drive.

 

To the OP you would have to be the most unlucky person in the world if the airport x-ray machine was to effect your equipment.

 

As HeadingNorth said it so unlikely of happening it can be safely ignored.

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Are you sure ? - I read somewhere x-rays (and other detection systems) can corrupt the info. on the hard drive/memory sticks etc...

 

In theory they can; in practice they're far too weak. Of course, something could conceivably go wrong and end with a laptop stuck in the machine being bathed in X-rays, but that's so unlikely it can safely be ignored. The laptop would be far more at risk from someone bumping into him and causing him to drop it on the floor.

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I've taken my work one regularly as hand luggage in the past. Would never put it in my suitcase in case it was nicked (know several people to whom that has happened). At some airports you may have to open it and allow it to be swabbed.

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I've taken a laptop through an airport and onto a plane as hold luggage. It was in my mobile office suitcase thing, which is basically a hard framed suitcase on wheels which has a full filing system and in the middle of the filing (equidistant from front and back) is a hard laptop case which has lots of padding in it, so if you put a laptop in it there's about 10cm of paperwork in front and behind it to protect it.

 

Maybe I was lucky that I got my bag back with my laptop in it, but I did, both directions :)

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I travel regularly, once was commuting daily from London to Zurich. Laptop screened every day for a year or so - no problems whatsoever on the laptop or the memory cards/USB sticks.

 

They will want to see that the laptop turns on and works and is a laptop, take it out the case, put the case in the tray, laptop on top, and they will have a quick look at the far side, problem solved.

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I travel regularly, once was commuting daily from London to Zurich. Laptop screened every day for a year or so - no problems whatsoever on the laptop or the memory cards/USB sticks.

 

They will want to see that the laptop turns on and works and is a laptop, take it out the case, put the case in the tray, laptop on top, and they will have a quick look at the far side, problem solved.

 

In all my time flying and taking my laptop with me and i fly between Manchester, Heathrow and North America quite alot, i have never once been asked or seen other passengers asked to see if my / their laptop turns on and works as a laptop. Ive only ever popped mine in the tray, sent it through the x-ray machine and away ive gone.

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In all my time flying and taking my laptop with me and i fly between Heathrow and North America quite alot, i have never once been asked or seen other passengers asked to see if my / their laptop works as a laptop. Ive only ever popped mine in the tray, sent it through the x-ray machine and away ive gone.

 

Sorry I didn't make myself clear. If they dont see that it is a laptop, ie outside the case, they will often ask to get it out the case, poke about turn it on. If it's on top of the case and visibile they won't ask - I think I was asked once, and that was by someone training someone else (I got to know a lot of the people by name quite well that year!). That was essentially what they told me to do to make it as quick and fast as possible.

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