[domymel]

Hi, my Mac mini is about to set off on a trip from Germany to Brazil next month. I was wondering if anybody has tried carrying it in his hand luggage and if this has caused problems with airport security. I know that they sometimes want me to switch on my PB when I get checked...well, without a screen that might be a bit difficult with the mini.

anybody?

Cheers,
Dom

[Eriamjh]

Bring the manual so you have proof it's a computer. Be prepared for the worst, though. What if they won't let it through? Remember, these security people are idiots. They wouldn't know a bomb if they saw one. Or a Mac mini. But they likely will not they you on with the latter unless you can plug in the thing and show them.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Bring the manual so you have proof it's a computer. Be prepared for the worst, though. What if they won't let it through? Remember, these security people are idiots. They wouldn't know a bomb if they saw one. Or a Mac mini. But they likely will not they you on with the latter unless you can plug in the thing and show them.

I wouldn't call airport security people "idiots." They do, however, uniformly lack sufficient training to identify non-dangerous items any more than dangerous items. And just because you have a picture of an item that says it's a computer doesn't mean that the box still is a computer. For safety's sake, if I were in their shoes, I'd tell you to forget about having it in the airplane.

It may be easier on you to ship the computer to your destination before you leave...

[tomrock]

You bring up an interesting point. What if they won't let you take it? I guess you have to get there early enough that you could mail it to yourself if they won't let it on the plane. Don't most airports have post office substations for this now?

[cleanup]

I believe, that, if they require it, you either have to turn the computer on (which most laptop owners are required to do), or pass it through the x-ray.

The luggage scanning machines airports use are non-magnetic, so there's no problem with passing a computer through it. I passed some laptops and my iPod through them several times - no problems.

I'm bringing my iMac with me when I move to Shanghai. I can't really plug it in, so I'll just pass it through the x-ray machine, so they can verify that there's no Semtex in there or something.

[Eriamjh]

I wouldn't call airport security people "idiots."

No, they are idiots. They are stupid and show no common sense in addition to not being properly trained. They don't know what to do when something actually happens so they do the worst possible thing and handle it in the worst possible way.

Keeping Babies off planes? I never met a one-year old I couldn't handle. But security kept those dangerous babies off the plane!

Ted Kennedy kept off of plane? How dumb are they? Sure, keep him off the plane, but not because he's a terrorist!

Are nail clippers really dangerous? A pen is more dangerous!

I can't think of any more specific examples, but I'm sure there are more.

So expect them to X-ray your Mac mini and have it out and on the conveyor just like you would have to do with a laptop.