Tripod on the airplane

[dxphoto]

Can you carry a tripod with you on the airplane???? Thanks.

Can you take a photo on the airplane now days?

[michaelging]

I have, in the past year taken a tripod as checked baggage, as well as carry on . I have not taken any photos on a plane ,but I haven not heard of any restrictions eather.

[harris_goldstein]

Many other items that could be used as a "club" are prohibited. Baring a specific approval for tripods, I would consider the possibility that any individual security location would not allow it to go though and plan your time accordingly.

[joseph_smith3]

When I last checked the TSA website, all "tools" are banned as part of carry on luggage. Many TSA agents include those little allen wrenches in this definition as well as ball heads and tripods. So if you try to carry on a tripod, you will likely lose it to the TSA. If you check it and other photo equipment, put a note in your suitcase that it contains a tripod and the other gear that is used for photographic purposes. This tip was told me by a TSA agent. It will reduce the risk that it will not be deemed a weapon and confiscated. Joe Smith

[Spearhead]

This gets brought up about once a month and there lots of discussions of it available by using the "Search" function above. <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Bu34">This thread, for example.</a>

[grahams]

I have not been allowed to take a tripod as carry on for the past three years, on BA, Quantas, SAA.

[ransomsix]

These days it completely depends on the TSA agents screening you. For instance last

week the screener made me remove the allen wrench that's been in my camera bag

forever and flew over 100,000 miles last year alone. I threw it out and bought a new

one at my destination, and on the way home the screener didn't even question it.

 

I've learned one thing: there are no standards. It's carrier beware. It depends on the

airport and the screeners.

[digitmstr]

funny thing is that you can flush a tampon in the toilet and cause a safety hazard...

[cbender]

I've had no problem getting my tripod through security at JFK on numerous occasions - the most recent of which was Tuesday.

[raczoliver]

I never had problems with tripods and monopods as carryon in Europe and Asia. Dunno about America, might be more strict. Whether you are allowed to take pictures from the plane depends on the laws of the country in whose airspace you are travelling in. In China, for example, you are not allowed to take pictures from airplanes. The Chinese air hostess probably did not know a thing about it, as she said "of course you can!" when I asked her if I could.

[craig_gillette]

As annoying as the suggestion usually is and as flippantly as it's usually given, this really should be searched - it's too common and too often answered. there is plenty of detail out there.

 

Check the TSA site, don't bring anything prohibited, airlines have space concerns different from what the TSA looks at as security concerns and things can always change at the gate depending on circumstances.

[ted_marcus1]

The TSA site is of very limited help. And that's intentional. While it doesn't list "tripods" among the prohibited items, it does say that the list isn't exhaustive. Essentially, whether you can carry on a tripod depends on the personal inclination of the screener who happens to be there at the moment you reach the front of the queue. You can't know until the moment the screener announces the decision.

 

This unpredictability is the cornerstone of the TSA's highly-effective methodology for keeping the skies safe and secure. What looks to the ordinary passenger like inconsistency and arbitrariness is in reality a carefully-conceived strategy. Terrorists and criminals never know what to expect, so the TSA can always remain one step ahead of anyone who seeks to perpetrate evil. Of course, ordinary passengers never know what to expect either, but a small amount of frustration and hassle is a price well worth paying for an efficient, highly effective airport screening system that keeps the skies safe and secure.

 

If you want to take a tripod, put it in your checked baggage (no need to worry, since it is all carefully screened as another element of the highly effective security system), FedEx it, or buy one at your destination each time you travel. It's very simple, really.

[jreades]

If you are flying out of Europe or North America you almost certainly will *not* be allowed to take a photo on the plane, and especially if you plan to do so for commercial purposes. There would be two reasons for this:

 

1. Security -- if your camera is pointed vaguely in the direction of the pilot's cabin then you could be doing 'reconnaisance'. You really don't want to piss off airline security and the flying sherrifs that they have in the US.

 

2. Copyright -- you'll probably find that most of the plane's interior is copyrighted (in some way shape or form) by the airline. You cannot mistake a BA cabin for a Delta one, so in a commercial context you might be seen to be exploiting their visual identity in some way.

 

As for taking a tripod, it's a lottery and you're better off just packing it in your checked luggage.

 

jon

[john_porter5]

The TSS guidelines are vague enough to be worthless as far as tripods are concerned. "Camera Equipment" is listed as being acceptable in carry-on luggage but the TSA makes no effort to define the term. (Are tripods included? How about 800mm lenses?)

 

Also listed as acceptable are umbrellas and walking canes -- both of which would make better weapons than a Gitzo 1128 without a head.

 

Yesterday I tried to be proactive and see if my usual carrier would give me a ruling in advance. I described the tripod I intend to carry (17 inches closed and 2.5 lbs) and asked if I was likely to run into trouble. Hoping for a simple "yes" or "no" answer, all I got was 2 pages of useless gibberish and links to the TSA site.

 

I guess I'll find out in 2 weeks when I go on vacation.