Can you use electronics on an airplane

However, most airlines will let you hold onto smaller electronic devices, as long as they're put in airplane mode and are unplugged from airplane power during takeoff and landing. Taking Computers Through Airport Security. Travel Tips. Tip If you're packing electronics in your checked luggage, remove any spare lithium batteries and carry them on with you.

Tip If you want support during the screening process due to having a personal medical electronic device, keep in mind that the TSA offers a help line to answer your questions and provide assistance, including arranging an escort from a passenger support specialist. At the time of publication, TSA had no restrictions on specific electronic equipment. This can change at any time.

Luggage shipping companies are alternatives for getting oversized or overweight electronic equipment to your destination. Use a service that has adequate insurance and a convenient way for you to retrieve shipped items when you arrive. Declare any electronic medical devices, homemade or hacked electronic equipment, such as cooling fans for laptops, before you reach the security scanner. Remove it from your carry-on. Arrive early for your flight and be prepared to wait for this type of equipment to undergo scrutiny.

How to Travel With Crutches. Contact the airline to find out about checked-bag fees and size limits. Place clothing and toiletries in any bag, but you must follow the TSA's guidelines for liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on luggage. Each item must be in a three-ounce or smaller container, all containers must fit in a one-quart plastic bag and each passenger is only allowed one bag.

Personal electronics are allowed in either checked or carry-on luggage. In fact, it might be preferable for you to keep items such as laptops, MP3 players, video cameras and video game systems with you, because checked baggage might be jostled quite a bit as it's loaded onto and off the plane. Many types of electronics, such as laptops and video cameras that use cassette tapes, need to be X-rayed individually as you go through security, so keep these items at the top of carry-on bags so you can get to them quickly.

Passengers are allowed to carry medications in carry-on luggage, but if you have any liquids or gels that won't fit in three-ounce containers, let TSA agents know so they can screen these items by hand. The same rules apply when it comes to bringing breast milk on board. You're allowed to bring food on the plane, but because you cannot bring large bottles of liquid, buy drinks after going through security. Most airlines will allow certain pets on the plane, but you'll need to buy an approved carrier for your animal and will need to bring the animal through the metal detector with you.

You'll also need to pay a fee for your pet; larger animals have to go into the cargo section. If these are at frequencies close to those of the avionics, signals and readings could be corrupted.

This could affect systems such as radar, communications and collision avoidance technology, and the problem is potentially magnified if gadgets are damaged and start emitting stronger radio waves than they should, or if signals from multiple devices combine. So much for the theory, but is there any proof that this is a problem? There are no known recorded incidents of crashes having been definitely caused by such interference, but that said the causes of accidents can sometimes remain unknown.

But while definite proof may be lacking, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the risks should be taken seriously. A report summarising 50 cases of safety issues thought to have been caused by personal electronic devices, was published in January this year. These were compiled from the US Aviation Safety Reporting System, a database maintained by Nasa, to which crew members can anonymously submit reports of safety problems.

One such case was summarised as follows: "First Officer reports compass system malfunctions during initial climb. When passengers are asked to verify that all electronic devices are turned off the compass system returns to normal. A analysis of the database identified reports of interference from electronic gadgets, of which 77 were defined as "highly correlated". In one incident a degree error in navigation equipment was immediately corrected when a passenger turned off a portable DVD player.

This problem reoccurred when the device was switched back on. Fight crew have reported a number of similar cases in which they have watched readings on navigations systems change apparently in response to passengers being asked to turn specific devices on and off.

In another report, the International Air Transport Association IATA identified 75 separate incidents of possible electronic interference that pilots believe were linked to mobile phones and other electronic devices between and In the competitive world of aviation, some airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and Delta Airlines have started advertising the use of technologies that allow greater use of mobile devices on flights. In-flight mobile phone systems such as OnAir and AeroMobile use miniature on-board base stations called picocells which allow devices to transmit at lower power levels.