taking a laptop?

How do you all get on when taking a laptop? Does it count as part of your luggage allowance? I assume you all take it as hand luggage, but what do you do if you need to take a carry-on type bag as well (you know, for books, magazines, ipod etc).... do you end up paying extra?

[mitchja]

Yes, a lap-top does count towards your cabin baggage allowance so you can't carry much else I'm afraid.

Regards

Thanks James - seems like a good reason not to take one then..[:#]

Unless you have an uber-super-lightweight ultra-portable lappy.. like my gorgeous little Vaio TX1XP! Bought specifically for easy light travelling (and a 7 hour battery life too..)

[HighFlyer]

If you are travelling in Upper you are allowed two pieces of hand luggage, and only one in PE/EC. I usually travel with a laptop and have travelled with it in all classes without any issues.

I guess it depends how policy abiding the staff wish to be. I would always be ready to reason that a laptop cannot be slung into hand luggage and needs its own carrier, and if you abide by the weight restrictions for your cabin (6kg or 8kg) then its probably not an issue.

Thanks,
Sarah

I normally take a biggish bag with my lippy in, plus passport, book, headphones, polos, tissues, toothbrush and paste, eyemask, earplugs, moisturiser, razor, shave cream, lip gel and everything else that is missing from the amenity kit these days. It has never been an issue. On occassion I have shoved the lippy in the checked luggage (I have a pela shock case for it, so it is safe from baggage handlers), but most pax will not do that, especially if it may well be opened by TSA. I reckon you can put the power pack in the checked luggage quite safely, although if your bag goes missing you may be a little stuffed.

[mitchja]

My lap-top power brick & cable along with my spare battery always go in my checked luggage along with the dozen or so other lap-top related items I always seem to take with me. I have an inflight charger which I carry with my lap-top.

Regards

[honey lamb]

I normally take a biggish bag with my lippy in,

Oooh! Suits you sir!

ISTR, the CAA rules say something like "One piece of hand luggage not bigger than and heavier than , plus a handbag/purse, or briefcase, or pair of binoculars or camera".

I'd suggest that the laptop is a modern equivalent of the briefcase, probably weighs about the same as a briefcase containing paperwork, and that's how I'd probably play it if someone was being a jobsworth.

That said, I've never had a problem on most airlines with a small roll-aboard (and I mean small - it's a shame this bag isn't available in the UK) and my laptop bag, except on smaller aircraft, where I'll either check-in the roll-aboard in advance, or offer to gate check-it if the flight is busy.

Cheers,
Mike

P.S. Here's a link to Easyjet's baggage policy - which explicitly says that a laptop isn't part of the hand luggage allowance, it's in addition to it.

[ChuckC]

My regulation carryon has a perfect front pocket which holds my laptop and power cord comfortably. I take that plus a smaller bag with magazines, "lippy" (as Sailor calls it), etc. Inside the smaller bag I have an even smaller one that goes over the shoulder and carries camera, mints, maps, etc.

Got a bit carried away there; sorry!

Chuck-

I usually travel with my laptop, suit carrier,and another small bag and have never had any issues.

Originally posted by mike-smashing

P.S. Here's a link to Easyjet's baggage policy - which explicitly says that a laptop isn't part of the hand luggage allowance, it's in addition to it.

Holy Moley! How did highfly get to Stavros Status in the EJ Orange Club if they won't let her take her Lippy with her LV handbag?

Originally posted by mike-smashing
That said, I've never had a problem on most airlines with a small roll-aboard (and I mean small - it's a shame this bag isn't available in the UK)

Hmmm... that is an excellent bag. I want one. How am I going to get one?

Originally posted by McCoy

Originally posted by mike-smashing
That said, I've never had a problem on most airlines with a small roll-aboard (and I mean small - it's a shame this bag isn't available in the UK)

Hmmm... that is an excellent bag. I want one. How am I going to get one?

It's great if it's just a weekend, and you're not having to deal lots of changes of clothes, or having to take any extra bulky outer coats.

The angled top-end means that it even fits inside the bins in smaller aircraft like Embraers, and Avro/BAe146 RJs. It doesn't fit through the bin-openings in a Fokker 50, nor in the bins in a Do328. The only downer with that is that you're left with the "bottom" of the bag (i.e. the wheels) facing out, and no handgrip on that end.

It quite happily fits inside the common sizing frames as well.

Like I said, I haven't seen them in the UK - even in a Samsonite store/factory outlet, but most Samsonite dealers in the US will carry them.

Cheers,
Mike

Nice bag. A close relation available from UK retailers would appear to be the X'Ion Upright. Comes in a few sizes. Not as neat at that SpaceMaster Tote though.. [:?]

I have travelled for many years with a (small) laptop bag, into which go my laptop (naturally) plus books and other small stuff, plus a cabin roller case. I have never had any problem with this. As someone mentioned earlier, the laptop bag counts as a briefcase as far as I'm concerned.

In any case, I never cease to be amazed at the enormous kitbags that some ladies seem to class as their "handbag" so I don't see why I should have any problem with my laptop case in addition to my one piece of cabin baggage!

Chris

Originally posted by sailor99
I normally take a biggish bag with my lippy in, be a little stuffed.

lippy or lappy?

Anyone have anything eccentric they like to carry on as well?

Keep it clean....[}:)]

Originally posted by catsilversword
Keep it clean....[}:)]

Why?

Last time I took a Lewis with me coz they were pining!!![:I]

Originally posted by MarkJ

Originally posted by catsilversword
Keep it clean....[}:)]

Why?

Last time I took a Lewis with me coz they were pining!!![:I]

So how many did you take? You said you took a Lewis (singular) because they (plural) were pining....?

OK, I'll go and stand in the corner now and behave myself. Well, I go and stand in the corner anyway. [:I]

I had a fun comment from the Flight Service Manager yesterday on my flight back to Boston from LHR. I was working on my laptop; she sat down next to me, handed me a glass of champagne, pointed out it was Sunday and suggested that I "finish up my work" real quick. I laughed.

Originally posted by bostonbrit
I had a fun comment from the Flight Service Manager yesterday on my flight back to Boston from LHR. I was working on my laptop; she sat down next to me, handed me a glass of champagne, pointed out it was Sunday and suggested that I "finish up my work" real quick. I laughed.

Now that's one of those things which make VS stand out (for the right reasons)...

Mike

Me and MrsPVG flew virgin economy back in January, and we both had to weigh our carry on baggage. MrsPVG's lappy backpack was overweight, so the check-in girl suggested that she take her lappy out and weigh it again. That worked, and the check-in girl told her to carry it seperately... Of course that is what we did;) [:I]
So i take that to mean that you have a carry on luggage limit PLUS laptop. Which isn't what some of the replies here state.

But I guess it is just luck of the draw, because when I next flew in UC, I had my big wheely laptop bag, on top of that was my smaller work laptop bag, then my Digital SLR bag AND a suitbag. And it didn't attract any comment at all.

A good point, and it does look to be patchy. I know I'd marvelled (or shuddered)at the amount of luggage some people appear to check in. Of course, I can't know how much and if they're charged extra, but it astounds me at how much people do take - huge bags!

I'm in the school of "passport and ticket is already too much carry-on", but needs must, and some of us poor weary travellers are relocating our lives for the foreseable future and hence try to keep the excess baggage charges down by getting away with as much as possible for carry on.

Suffice to say it is no fun getting out of an airport and onto a transer bus single handedly with three suitcases, three carry on bags and a camera [n]

I think my carry-on from HKG to LHR when i moved back from China took the biscuit... My wheelie laptop bag weighing almost as much as a full blown suitacase, then an innocently small looking backpack cunningly packed to contain X-Box, 3 X-Box controllers, Photo Printer, more power supplies that Maplins, more games and DVD's than blockbusters and weighing as much as a full blown suitcase! Dr Who eat your heart out [:o)]