Going on first ever plane flight

28 years old and i've finally been convinced to take a plan to florida for our cruise trip out of cape canaveral. I did want to drive, but fiancee doesn't want to be on the road for a day and half compared to less then 3 hours in the air.
Anyway, i've looked over continentals website and they say your allowed to bring camera's and laptops as carry on. I searched on here to find information regarding anyone beeing hassled with a camera inside while in flight? I would like to get a few out the window shots if possible, but dont want to be hassled for the camera beeing out.

any advice with bringing the camera gear/laptop thru the checkpoints and such?

You'll have to take the laptop out of the bag going through security; I'd suggest that you take out the camera too. In flight - I've not had problems aside from dirty/scratched windows. Yo want to get a seat on the shady side of the plane though.

You'll definitely have to take your laptop out and I've been asked a couple of times to take my camera out as well. It hasn't happened every time, but the hassle and nasty looks you get when you make the already grouchy passengers in the security line have to wait for you to take the camera out is worth having it ready when you get to the detectors.

You will not be hassled for your camera being out of the bag. Especially if you are minding your own business and just taking shots out your window.

Enjoy your first flight.

I am taking 2 cameras on the plane when I head off to Italy in a couple of weeks. They will be around my neck when I go through security.

All good advice here. I travel a lot with camera gear and they x-ray the camera bag and make me take out the laptop. I haven't had to remove the camera from said bag for some time. But then again, I sometimes have to remove shoes, sometimes I don't.

Variables.

Shots out the window are rarely good but since it's your first trip, do it.

Thanks guys for the help. I'll probably just check the laptop with the luggage. I dont plan on doing much as i'll be drugged up so i dont flip out inside and scare the passengers But if i am awake and not insane i'll try to take some pics if we have any window seats, that i still need to find out about.

2005GLI wrote in post #5093467
Thanks guys for the help. I'll probably just check the laptop with the luggage. I dont plan on doing much as i'll be drugged up so i dont flip out inside and scare the passengers But if i am awake and not insane i'll try to take some pics if we have any window seats, that i still need to find out about.

I wouldn't. You never know who goes through your luggage when you're not looking...

2005GLI wrote in post #5093467
Thanks guys for the help. I'll probably just check the laptop with the luggage.

Unfortunately, that is not recomended. If you even get it back, it may not work. You never know about the gorillas at the airport (no offense to any of those gorillas that may be reading this now).

I made the mistake of shipping my Nikonos IV-A in the bag once, instead of carrying it on. I got it back. In pieces.

I know, it was heanous, actually owning a Nikon product. I didn't have a housing for my camera at the time, and a friend was practically giving it away.

It isn't absolutely required to take the camera out of the bag - it just makes the check go faster if they can see it all right off rather than have to pull you aside and poke through the bag.

But DON'T check the laptop. Not, at least, if you ever hope to see it again in one piece, if at all. Even if it doesn't get taken, the baggage handlers are not gentle with the bags. And if it's bad weather, your suitcase may not protect against rain all that well either. I was unlucky enough that on the flight where the airline broke the shell on my (hard-sided) suitcase it was pouring at both ends of the flight - a lot of the clothes in my suitcase got soaked.

???

Dito on not checking the laptop. I made that mistake once and it will never happen again. Want to know why it wolnt happen again? CAUSE I NEVER GOT MY LAPTOP BACK! But I did get a nice note in my bag that TSA left...

Anything of considerable value should be brought carry on and you should never take your eyes off of it.

A fellow forum member suggested this blog: http://flyingwithfish.​blogspot.com/

Has alot of usefull information. Have fun!

Please do not leave the laptop in your luggage! You have no idea how the handlers chuck the bags in and out of the planes. My tripod snapped in two in my very secure luggage and it was just from here to UT. I was crushed because I wasn't really interested in getting another one. Imagine what a computer would go through. Get a nice roller carry-on bag that holds your laptop. It's worth the money. I even got one of those regular rollers 2 years ago at WalMart for $50 that had a slide in section for a laptop, but you can fit other things in it. Worth it. I still use it.

I had a large, silver, hard sided case. It was locked, with TSA locks, and had two security straps around it. When it arrived the straps were gone, the lock was busted, and there were clothes hanging out the side as the case came out open. Didn't lose anything aside from some clothes as there was nothing valuable in there.

So in case you haven't got the message yet, Never ever ever put anything delicate or valuable in your checked luggage. Baggage handlers seem to take their job to malicious levels. They will steal or break whatever you put in there.

I don't know about malicious, but I have heard from many (and I mean many) friends that something valuable was stolen out of their checked luggage. One friend had all her vacation shots on a disk in side her little camera bag she left in her luggage. The bag was gone and so were her vacation shots. Imagine what someone could do with the information in a laptop? Don't do it!