flying with gear

[lisa_berry___northampton_m]

can someone link me to the recent post about airline regulations? I"m preparing for a trip with all my

gear and am quite nervous. I plan to mail the film back here in an x-ray bag. Has anyone flown since

the new restrictions and been able to keep their cameras with them as carry-on?

 

thanks!

[Ian Taylor]

I've flown return between Canada and the US since the revised rules. No problem with cameras as carry-on. Only major change is that everyone must remove their shoes for x-ray.

 

I might rethink mailing film in a lead bag. I would just carry it on as normal, or courier it.

[phoneguy]

The only major changes in carry on items has been liquid. You can't carry on any drinks, toothpaste, shampoo, gels etc... I bought a coffee after I went through the security check point, and even had to toss that before I boarded the plane. I had my backpack full of camera gear though, and had no problems.

 

Mike

[Ed_Ingold]

The link is http:/www.tsa.gov. There is a PDF for the current regulations and ample material for examples and explanations. Local interpretations may vary - TSA wants to avoid predictability, for good reason. This interpretation affects the level of inspection, not what is permitted or not.

 

Commuter airlines have little or no space on board for anything larger than a purse or laptop bag. On the plus side, your luggage is usually loaded and unloaded on the tarmac, so there is little risk of organized pilferage.

[timberwulf]

Good post Edward. There was never any ban on electronic items on aircraft that were not outbound out of the UK.

 

For commuter airlines, I just carry a bag that will fit under the seat in front of me. :)

[david_a._wong]

Hello Lisa,

 

I've just wrapped up a trip in Europe and the UK. Flying out of Heathrow is a pain in the #&%!!! Avoiding liquids was not the problem. The carry on size is so small, its almost impossible to carry a proper camera bag. If it was even SLIGHTLY too big, they forced you to check it in. No exceptions. They checked EVERY piece for size. I shoot a MF 6x17 plus a digtal set up. I had to basically put my essential components in my briefcase...unpadded, just to make it fit. I left everything else smaller lenses, filters, meters, etc, in my camera bag and put it into a suitcase and checked it in.

 

Good luck.

[ci_p]

I would second avoiding heathrow.

[donna_chiarelli]

I have been using the pelican 1510 wheeled carry on case to fly domestically. It is great, even

on commuter flights if you have to leave it on the jetway and pick it up after the flight, at

least you know things are protected. It does fit in the overhead bin on larger flights. I am

going to China and Japan next month and don't know if I can take this case though. The

airlines in Asia seem to have smaller carry on sizes and weight restrictions and I don't know

the policy of leaving a wheeled case and picking it up after the flight (not checking it) like in

the US. I am worried they will force me to check it. Does anyone have experience with this?

Might I be better of with a backpack?

[lheusinkveld]

I would suggest that until everything settles down again (or not), plan to give yourself as many options as possible when you decide what to take and what to put it in. I will be flying from the US to the UK in September, returning in November. I will take my usual camera backpack, which has room for my laptop. In case it has to be checked at any stage of the journey, one of my checked suitcases has hard sides and will fit the entire backpack, giving protection from crushing while the pack itself has the right padding. My other checked baggage is an Eagle Creek convertible bag with a detachable daypack. The daypack will be small enough if the rigorous size requirements are still in force in the UK, for me to put only my laptop and most critical camera gear in it to carry on, while the rest gets checked in the hard sided suitcase mentioned above. Oh, and I have made sure of an all-risks insurance policy in case of pilferage. A photographer's vest with big pockets is also useful in a pinch, just for the flights, no protection of course, but a way of getting around small carryon sizes.

[rick_wong]

I just flew in three week ago during code red and orange from Mexico.

I notice that people with large carryons were being told to check in their bags. Day packs, brief cases and smaller camera cases like my Lowepro Omni Traveler were no problem. I had my D2x, 24-120, 105, 20mm, 50mm and sb800 with filters in the Omni Traveler and in my Boblbee Megalopolis Executive Hardshell Backpack I carried my 80-400, 300/2.8, laptop, and my kirk ball head. In my hardside check-in I put chargers in my shoes, the legs to my tripod, lens hoods, cords, and the hard shell to my traveler case in case I have to check in my equipment or if I need another bag to meet the 50 pound rule.

 

link to my camera case: http://www.ebags.com/lowepro/omni_traveler_traveler_extreme/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=18477

As for china I did a 4 week trip two years ago I used the same setup but they did check to make sure the baggage fit the boxes when you check in and they will weight your bag if it looks too big (there is a weight restriction) they would hand check your check-in at the gate and then ask you to lock up your luggage. (when flying in Mexico three weeks ago they also was hand checking our luggage when checking in.

 

The good side of this is that the bigger roller cases were not allowed on board so there was plenty of room in the overheads for everyones carryons. people that did try to bring in larger items like strollers, walkers, and big bags were told to leave it at the door where they were then loaded into the hold and were brought back up at the end of the flight. I also notice first class passengers were allowed bigger bags and had a 70 pound limit instead of 50 pounds on their luggage.

[robert_k1]

I tend to agree with Louise' "worse case scenario" approach. With status changing constantly and the interpretation of rules at the whim of the checkers, any published rules can only be treated as "guidelines".

 

One question for Louise. Your method works fine at the ticket counter, allowing you to transfer your backpack etc. to your check in luggage if necessary. But what if the counter allows you to carry on the backpack, but the boarding security won't? At that point your luggage is already checked in, what would you do with your backpack?

 

Perhaps there is no perfect solution. How I miss the good old days when I could have my carryon films hand checked and withoud being x-rayed.

[lheusinkveld]

Robert, your point is well taken, although in any past "disputes" I have had over carry-on luggage, it has always been stopped at the ticket counter. I expect there would be two options. The first, if the backpack is to be gate checked (where it is put into the hold last and brought out at the end for collection on the tarmack), I would reluctantly give it up. In the very worst case and it was going into the hold, I would be putting things into the capacious pockets of my photographers vest.

 

Carry-on size limitations are published and quite easy to find on the web. UK sizes are at present much smaller. Shortly before my flight I will be double-checking these sizes. Just remember that much of what goes in our carry-on could safely be in checked baggage, power cords, card reader, laptop mouse, filters, all sorts of stuff we typically cart along. The only things that really need to be with us if it can be done are the camera body, lenses, storage device if you have one, and the laptop (and film if that is what you are shooting). I am pretty sure that if I leave in only the essentials, my padded backpack will crush down enough to fit the smaller UK sizes.

[michal_vallo]

Does anyone has experience with tripod as a hand luggage? My Manfrotto/Bogen 055PROB is almost 80cm long and 5kg of weight including ball-head is quite heavy and it doesnt fit easily anywhere. I dont have so much space in my luggage, thats why I prefer take it as carry-on. Thank you.

[RaymondC]

I went from Paris to London and was not allowed to take anything but my wallet and passport so the camera belt bag went via cargo with no extra padding or lock on it.

 

On the way back from London 2 weeks ago cameras ago but not surprised if tripods not allowed carry on but you are allowed one piece only and it needs to fit into that square thing they place around airports. I saw a person who was told to checked a bag which to my eyes looked like a typical carry on bag many pple usually use with the handle and the wheels underneath it.

 

Re: about me. Film I have given up unless I source film there and process. So I use digital, one body, one lens, no filters and if I take a tripod that goes via cargo. I go onboard with camera over my shoulder and my wallet and passport, if I am not allowed I can wrap the SLR and one lens in clothes and check it via cargo. I have adapted so it does not bother me anymore now.

 

If I use medium for large format in the future that will certainly all go via cargo.

[RaymondC]

On the way back from London 2 weeks ago cameras ago but not surprised if tripods not allowed carry on but you are allowed one piece only and it needs to fit into that square thing they place around airports.

 

I meant cameras are "ok" but not surprised .......

 

I saw a person who went via checkin ok but upon security clearance he was asked to go back to checkin to check his cabin bag in, which looks like a typical bag with handle and wheels on it .........

 

On my trip I departed to Paris and left Paris to London while in the midst of mny travels they heightened the security. At checkin in Paris I and others were given a english form of the procedures they will take, it was in other languages as well ........

 

The bag I had to be thrown into cargo was a Lowepro Photo Runner, that fitted no more than one body and one lens or two primes (in addition to a lens attached to a SLR). But that was not allowed but now it is but its a bit like a small daypack, it is smaller than before the August 06 attacks and it should remain that way now.

 

I don't live in EU or the USA but from here they are also enforcing no liquids to be taken other than if you bought it in transit and for the USA you can't even do that and in addition to a one bag allowance and of a smaller size than before, if destination is USA all liquid incl lipstick stuff must be in checked cargo, you cannot even buy a bottle of water in transit and take it on board.

[michal_vallo]

I just returned from my flight to Munich yesterday so here is my latest experience. On both airports - Praha, CZ (PRG) and Munich, DE (MUC) I have had no problems to carry my heavy tripod on board. It was xrayed as any other piece of equipment. I was also allowed to take my camera + couple of lenses, total weight more than 10 kg. Everything went smoothly, indeed.