terrorist threat

Softstuff

so does anyone know what is likely to happen as regards care/insurance for laptops stowed in the baggage hold?
We're due to fly back to Aus in a couple of weeks, so have no choice but to take our belongings with us then. As far as I'm aware the insurance wouldn't cover an item like this stowed, so will the airlines?

jap200

My husband is supposed to be flying out of Heathrow on United Airlines tomorrow to go to Hawaii for a job interview (really!!)

As it is he has been given a 90minute connection time in LA (the flights were booked for him so he had no choice). If the flight actually leaves at all, there is a good chance he will miss the connecting flight to Honolulu because of extra security in the US as well - and the following flight is 12 hours later. He would then arrive just a few hours before the start of his 2-day interview schedule, not only jet-lagged, but possibly having had no sleep in 24 hours.

He has got to give various presentations as part of the interview and was planning to refine and 'rehearse' them on his laptop during the flights. If he has to check it in with his luggage, he won't even have it to use in the inevitable long delay at the airport.

It has also occured to me that if the luggage was lost or delayed, he won't have access to the presentations at all. He won't even be allowed to take a USB data storage thing/CD or even old-fashioned acetates or paper onto the flight!

The actualy flying time to Hawaii is about 26 hours - not including all the airport time as well. It will be a nightmare for anyone to travel for that long without even a book to read. He travels alot and has usually seen all the in-flight movies before. He might even be desperate enough to read the in-flight magazine!

mystic_trev

Softstuff wrote:

so does anyone know what is likely to happen as regards care/insurance for laptops stowed in the baggage hold?
We're due to fly back to Aus in a couple of weeks, so have no choice but to take our belongings with us then. As far as I'm aware the insurance wouldn't cover an item like this stowed, so will the airlines?

Funnily enough I think Laptops will be one of the things they'll (eventually) allow as hand baggage, although you may have to switch it on to allow it through security. As for the rest of the Han baggage scenario, who know? This could all last for sometime.

Regarding your Insurance issue, I think any Insurer would be "blackballed" for not allowing a legitimate claim. Pack it in the middle of your bag and it should be OK.

jh2004

Easyjet have also cancelled all flights from Gatwick, Luton, stanstead.

also lots of other flights not going out of london airports

check out

https://www.easyjet.com/EN/News/uk_disruption_10_august_2006_3.html

im flying easyjet liverpool - belfast tommorow, so fingers crossed.
jh

Donnie

morg_monster wrote:

I'm so fed up... Went to Stansted this morning to get my 9.55 Ryanair flight to Leipzig...I knew there were problems about halfway through the train journey, and once I got there I was told it was cancelled, so I came home and tried to rebook. No tickets left for the flight tomorrow, and for Saturday there were tickets available but I couldn't get through the process on the website as the server was too busy. After trying about 100 times with no success now all the saturday tickets are gone. So I want to change to go next weekend, again the website too busy. Called the 0871 number (which is supposed to be a reservations line), and there was just a LONG recorded message (at 10p a minute!) with no option to talk to a real person. They read out another phone number to call starting with 00313 I think... but I couldn't find a pen in time. Now I've tried the number again about 20 times and each time there is either an 'engaged' tone, or various BT messages that the person at the other end has hung up.

Doubly annoying we've just moved into a new place and broadband isn't up and running yet, so we're on dialup, so can't try the web and phone at the same time... DOH!

They were probably referring you to their offices in Dublin; 00353***

Take a look at the http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php for the numbers.

Use a number from; http://www.niftylist.co.uk/calls/to/ireland/landline/ to make the call.

Good luck.

waster_2

arnie&caseysma! wrote:

Don't be surprised if the handluggage thing carries on for the forseeable future, if not indefinitely. I heard some time ago (can't remember where) that hand luggage was going to banned and anything you wanted to take would have to fit into a small container provided by the airline.

Interested in how Ryan Air will deal with this? Has their policy of hand baggage only, pay extra for checked luggage, come in yet? Expect they will see this as yet another nice little money earner!

Barcode wrote:

Any airline that attempts to penalise passengers for going over their checked baggage allowance because of this will almost certainly come under serious fire. I doubt very much that will happen.

You couldn't expect to get away with anything more than the total combined checked and hand baggage allowance that you were entitled to, surely?

swizzle_2

Glad that the plot was filled- and no one got hurt. But how long do you think the restrictions will go on for?

We are flying down under with 2 small boys- looks like it will be 30 hours of hell!!!!!!!!!! I was not looking forward to the flight-and was already getting books eyc together.

Was going to get some cheap gameboy from ebay- but may as well save my money.

Again, I am glad that nothing happened- and for everyone`s safety will be happy to board the planes with just my tickets in a clear plastic bag. I just hope that if they start playing up- the fellow passengers under stand this!

waster_2

jap200 wrote:

It has also occured to me that if the luggage was lost or delayed, he won't have access to the presentations at all. He won't even be allowed to take a USB data storage thing/CD or even old-fashioned acetates or paper onto the flight!

Not sure how big his presentation is but why not send it to himself as an attacment to a webmail address? He could even open/join more than one webmail address if the presentation is too big for one address and exceeds the limits.

Hotmail now gives a pretty good storage limit and for a few ££ more than just the free service I think you can buy more storage capacity that would probably be more than adequate.

He could then download it in Hawaii if all other storage mediums became unavailable/lost. I am sure that they would have a PC available for him to use in the circumstances and that he uses the normal software for presentations? And surely the interviewers' would understand the situation and be impressed by his ingenuity and initiative.

Good luck to him for the journey and the interview.

gilly41

HI
My son is in California---he flies back at the end of the month. He is only 20

---

gone out there for 8 weeks to coach soccer. I actually think now it was more of a risk him flying out there(though I tried not to think about things that could happen!!) than flying back as security measures will be stepped up.
Even so, it is all very worrying!
xx

overworked_underpaid

There is no mention about Mobile Phones and Cameras with regards to items alllowed in hand baggage. Anyone have any idea what will happen regarding these?