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US airports hotspot guide

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 12:31 am
by The Others
http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx

Taken off Slashdot's front page. Loos like a pretty comprehensive source for anyone flying around the USA.

Off topic, perhaps, but what are the current flying rules for domestic US flights? I thought that airport was pretty much useless these days as nothing can be allowed in the cabin and therefore gets handed over when you check in.

Flying with my laptop was never much fun, I don't think I will again until these rules lax up a bit.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:54 am
by Thorn
The Others wrote:http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx

Taken off Slashdot's front page. Loos like a pretty comprehensive source for anyone flying around the USA.

Off topic, perhaps, but what are the current flying rules for domestic US flights? I thought that airport was pretty much useless these days as nothing can be allowed in the cabin and therefore gets handed over when you check in.

Flying with my laptop was never much fun, I don't think I will again until these rules lax up a bit.
Currently the US is allowing laptops and other carry on luggage.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:12 am
by streaker69
The Others wrote:http://www.travelpost.com/airport-wireless-internet.aspx

Taken off Slashdot's front page. Loos like a pretty comprehensive source for anyone flying around the USA.

Off topic, perhaps, but what are the current flying rules for domestic US flights? I thought that airport was pretty much useless these days as nothing can be allowed in the cabin and therefore gets handed over when you check in.

Flying with my laptop was never much fun, I don't think I will again until these rules lax up a bit.


We had several flights shortly after 9/11. I brought my notebook backpack loaded with all the accessories, as well as a camcorder bag strapped to it. The only statement that was made at one point was "there's too many damn wires in there". They ran it through the bomb sniffer after that. Only thing I had to do was take out the laptop and turn it on. No big deal really.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:25 am
by The Others
I see that BA have recently relaxed the rules introduced after the attempted liquid explosives plot; laptops are now allowed ont he plane, as long as they are removed from their baggage and X-rayed seperatly.

I've had this happen to mine before, and it was no trouble. Of course, they always make me take my belt off as well, then rush you through they quee. I have been left holding my laptop, the bag it used to be in, my belt and my trousers up as I've tried to clear the line in airports before.

My DV camera has never been an issue; it's pretty small and just goes into my hand luggage. The thousands of cables I have for everything get packed into the hold - I'm not going to need endless USB and firewire cables on the flight, so I forget about them until I unpack. Charging batteries too - I never pay enough to get a seat with a power supply, so my myriad of chargers go in the hold. To be honest, I never use my laptop on the plane anyway, but like to keep it on me. In the air port it's good, but planes are for sleeping.

Next time I'll brush up on current flying regulations before posting my mouth off.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:35 am
by streaker69
[quote="The Others"]I see that BA have recently relaxed the rules introduced after the attempted liquid explosives plot]

BTW, in the US you can also check firearms with your stored luggage as long as you declare them when you check in. The FAA regs state that they must be in a Locked Hard sided case, unloaded. The ammo must be in a seperate case. I just thought you might want to know that. ;)

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:38 am
by theprez98
I almost always travel with the laptop. Sometimes I am asked to turn it on, mostly though I just have to take it out of the case and run it through the x-ray machine by itself.

My electronic gear bag always gets lots of scrutiny and sometimes results in extra attention (the "too many wires" deal that streak talked about), but nothing beyond that.

I once saw a pregnant woman refuse to walk through the metal detector. After a couple minutes of "uh, what do we do?", they escorted her around the machine and let it be.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:39 am
by theprez98
[quote="streaker69"]BTW, in the US you can also check firearms with your stored luggage as long as you declare them when you check in. The FAA regs state that they must be in a Locked Hard sided case, unloaded. The ammo must be in a seperate case. I just thought you might want to know that. ]
I once had a woman at the counter look at two clearly empty 9mm magazines and ask me if they were "ammunition."

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:41 am
by streaker69
theprez98 wrote:I once saw a pregnant woman refuse to walk through the metal detector. After a couple minutes of "uh, what do we do?", they escorted her around the machine and let it be.


I could almost understand that if it were an X-ray device, but just a magnetometer? Obviously no one there understood the technology involved. I guess this woman also doesn't enter or leave stores with theft prevention devices either, doesn't drive under toll booths, nor use her electric mixer to make cakes.

OMG, there's electro-magnetic fields everywhere whatever will we do?

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:44 am
by theprez98
streaker69 wrote:I could almost understand that if it were an X-ray device, but just a magnetometer? Obviously no one there understood the technology involved. I guess this woman also doesn't enter or leave stores with theft prevention devices either, doesn't drive under toll booths, nor use her electric mixer to make cakes.

OMG, there's electro-magnetic fields everywhere whatever will we do?

I'm going to go ahead and say that she assumed it was a X-ray machine. Like you said, it would understandable for a pregnant woman to be concerned in that case. Then again, they didn't ask her to ride through the x-ray tunnel. ;)

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:45 am
by Thorn
[quote="The Others"]I see that BA have recently relaxed the rules introduced after the attempted liquid explosives plot]Hey, no problem. It's changing daily anyway. The US has been separating laptops from the bag since 9/11. When leaving the UK earlier this summer, I was surpised that they did not require it.

On my outgoing flight to DefCon, the woman running the TSA X-ray machine bitched about the amount of electronics in my carry on bags. When I said she could had hand search it, she got even bitchier, said that it wasn't needed, just that I was making her job harder.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:46 am
by streaker69
Thorn wrote:Hey, no problem. It's changing daily anyway. The US has been separating laptops from the bag since 9/11. When leaving the UK earlier this summer, I was surpised that they did not require it.

On my outgoing flight to DefCon, the woman running the TSA X-ray machine bitched about the amount of electronics in my carry on bags. When I said she could had hand search it, she got even bitchier, said that it wasn't needed, just that I was making her job harder.


Yeah, it's tough for her fat ass to keep that stool from violating the force of gravity and hitting the ceiling, since they seem to think that's what their job actually is.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:49 am
by theprez98
Thorn wrote:Hey, no problem. It's changing daily anyway. The US has been separating laptops from the bag since 9/11. When leaving the UK earlier this summer, I was surpised that they did not require it.

On my outgoing flight to DefCon, the woman running the TSA X-ray machine bitched about the amount of electronics in my carry on bags. When I said she could had hand search it, she got even bitchier, said that it wasn't needed, just that I was making her job harder.

I think part of the frustration is that the TSA folks don't know what some of the electronic devices we have are, so they are naturally scared of the unknown. Reminds me of the police officer who pulled me over and then told me that my Ipod (sitting on the dash) wasn't any good because his radar was more advanced than my Ipod.
[color="White"]
(yes, he thought it was a radar detector).[/color]

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:52 am
by Thorn
theprez98 wrote:I'm going to go ahead and say that she assumed it was a X-ray machine. Like you said, it would understandable for a pregnant woman to be concerned in that case.
Bah. I have X-rays of me before I was born, at about 6-7 months.* It was a common practice before ultrasound. That directly relates to beakmyn's O All The Kids Born Between 1930 - 1979 thread.

[SIZE="1"]*Yes, with this crew I fully expect a line or two saying "that explains a lot." [/SIZE]:rolleyes:

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:54 am
by streaker69
Thorn wrote:Bah. I have X-rays of me before I was born, at about 6-7 months.* It was a common practice before ultrasound. That directly relates to beakmyn's O All The Kids Born Between 1930 - 1979 thread.

[SIZE="1"]*Yes, with this crew I fully expect a line or two saying "that explains a lot." [/SIZE]:rolleyes:


You probably remember these too.

http://www.mtn.org/quack/devices/shoexray.htm

PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 4:55 am
by theprez98
Thorn wrote:Bah. I have X-rays of me before I was born, at about 6-7 months.* It was a common practice before ultrasound. That directly relates to beakmyn's O All The Kids Born Between 1930 - 1979 thread.

That explains a lot! ;) Sorry, couldn't resist.