Are Laptops Allowed on a Plane?

Phone, wallet, keys, passport, and laptop. These items are the most common ones that travelers will bring with them on a plane and help to ensure a smooth flow through security and as you wait before the plane departs.

Laptops are one of the most commonly brought items onto a plane and help us to work and connect regardless of location. And although our phones have many of the same capabilities, the convenient size and computing power of a laptop makes it a great option while traveling.

However, many travelers may be wondering, are laptops allowed on a plane?

Below, we are going to review just whether or not laptops are allowed on a plane, the best ways to house your laptop, and some helpful tips to ensure smooth travel with a laptop.

Advantages of a Laptop Over a Smartphone

While a smartphone has much of the same capabilities as a laptop, due to their relatively smaller size and frame, smartphones are unable to handle much of the larger computing needs you may have. And while you would never consider leaving the house without your smartphone, bringing along your laptop on a trip is also a good idea.

• Laptops have a physical keyboard – perhaps the main reason to consider bringing your laptop on a trip is for the physical keyboard one provides. And when it comes to writing or composing long emails, documents, or notes, a physical keyboard is simply the best solution.

• Storage capacity – although many of us have transitioned to utilizing the cloud, being able to store your documents, photos, and videos on a physical device ensures constant access. With many laptops having 256GB of storage capacity, you will be able to house and store a near endless amount of documents, photos, and videos on your laptop.

• Software – although there appears to be an app for just about everything, many of the larger, more powerful websites require dedicated softwares. Whether it’s Photoshop, CAD, or even Excel, all those programs run better and more smoothly on a dedicated computing device.

• Video editing and vlogging – if you are a YouTube personality or simply enjoy editing videos, then a laptop is an absolute necessity. Few mobile apps can compare to the capabilities of video editing software on a laptop and bringing one along with you on a trip will allow you to continue posting, even when you are hundreds of miles from home.

• Larger screen – while many of us enjoy watching videos and reading documents and news articles on our phones, the smaller screen can be harmful for our eyes. The constant squinting and staring at a smaller device can be particularly tiring on a plane, which a laptop can help you to avoid.

• Gaming – lastly, if you enjoy gaming, nothing can compare to that of a powerful desktop or laptop. With mobile games being limited to the current generation of power, laptops can often be upgraded to handle more intense gaming sessions.

Disadvantages of a Laptop Over a Smartphone

However, while laptops do have some advantages, they also present their own unique set of challenges. Below, we are going to review some of the disadvantages that laptops can present as compared to a smartphone.

• Larger and bulkier – perhaps the main disadvantage that a laptop presents over a smartphone is that, quite simply, a laptop is larger and bulkier than a smartphone. A laptop can take valuable space in your luggage and removing and placing one back into its dedicated slot can become a nuisance.

• Need to remove before security – in addition, per current TSA guidelines, laptop computers must be removed from carry on bags and placed on a separate bin for X-ray screening. This guideline makes traveling with a laptop a bit more complicated and difficult and you should be prepared to remove your laptop from your carry on bag while going through security.

• Limited charging capabilities – unfortunately, laptops are notoriously poor on battery life. And while smartphones need to be charged daily, it seems that nearly everyone carries a smartphone charger with them and they are widely available. However, lugging an additional charging cable and finding a compatible plug in a remote destination can be troublesome.

How to Take a Laptop on a Plane

While taking a laptop on a plane is a relatively easy process, you will face some hurdles as you pass through security. Current TSA guidelines mandate that laptops be removed from carry on cases and placed on a separate bin to pass through the X-ray machine.

Here is a step-by-step process to getting through airport security with a laptop.

• Enter the queue to the airport boarding zone
• Reach the TSA security desk
• Provide the TSA agent with your ID or passport and boarding pass
• Enter the screening process
• Remove your shoes, belt, and any electronic devices from your pockets
• Place shoes, belt, and electronic devices in a bin
• Place carry on luggage on security belt
• Remove laptop from carry on bag and place in a separate bin

Top Tips to Make Traveling With a Laptop Easier

While traveling on a plane with a laptop can, at times, be cumbersome, there are some useful tips to make the overall process easier and more seamless. Below, we are going to review some great options to make traveling with a laptop overall easier.

• Purchase a separate laptop bag – having a separate laptop bag will make the process of lugging and carrying your laptop all the more easy. With a dedicated laptop bag, you will be able to quickly place and retrieve your laptop, without having to dig into your carry on. Similarly, with many laptop bags coming with additional padding and dedicated space for wires and power banks, you will be better prepared as you travel. We recommend this laptop bag, which has an extremely sleek profile and comes in either black, light pink, or traditional pink colors.

• Power bank – similarly, when traveling, a laptop that is not fully charged is, effectively, useless. That’s why we always travel with a mobile power bank which allows for charging of our laptop, smartphone, and other electronic devices. We really like this power bank and have been using it for all of our travel for years now.

• Universal Charging Adapter – in addition, if you are traveling overseas, be sure to bring along a charging adapter. Different countries utilize different charging standards and your common charging port may not be compatible in those countries. We’ve purchased and use this universal charging adapter which has a dedicated port for each different variation. In addition, this universal charging adapter comes with dedicated USB ports to allow for additional charging of separate devices simultaneously.

• Mobile router – lastly, consider investing in a mobile router. A mobile router will allow you to connect to the internet safely, securely, and easily, no matter where you are in the world. We really like the Netgear M1, which has provided us with fast, consistent internet speeds across the globe.