I wouldn’t try this at LHR.
and as for “if the weather is OK”:
Flying in the US or CAN lately with an amp or other big electronics as carry-on?
Hi. I am considering flying from Toronto Pearson Int’l to O’Hare with a ~25lb AC-DC power converter/power supply unit (JRDG “Power Storage Unit” to be specific) in my carry-on wheelie bag. It will fit in the wheelie bag and is under the weight limit, but I am pretty sure that the airport security X-ray machines will read the device, which is basically milled from a large block of solid aluminum, as entirely opaque and hence, suspicious, and so the staff will need to inspect it manually. Obviously, I don’t want them to scratch its beautiful front or try to open the chassis.
I would take the unit out of the bag and put it in it’s own bin for the screening and try to explain the situation to an officer before hand as well.
Does anybody here have any recent experience with trying to bring a medium/big piece of audio equipment on a US commercial flight in your carry-on bag?
(The alternative, because I don’t want to ship from Canada, is to drive to Niagara Falls/Buffalo, clear customs at the Whirlpool Bridge (NEXUS only) and then FedEx or UPS the PSU from Buffalo, but there are various issues with that approach that I’d prefer to avoid, if possible.)
Thanks!
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I travel a lot for work, it would be a total crap shoot on making it through security without issue. Airports and various TSA agents aren’t consistent. Some would understand what the unit actually was and others wouldn’t. Have you thought about checking the bag? There wouldn’t be any issues with doing that. You could check the bag on the way to O’Hare and then fly back with the less full bag as a carry on the way back. Much more scrutiny on carry on bags, I’ve gone on 20 flights with the same carry on, and never been flagged and then on the 21st, same bag, same stuff in the bag it’s flagged, searched. |
@mm1tt77 i think checking is riskier; the X-ray machines they use for checked bags will not be able to determine what the PSU is — just a big, opaque block of metal, and the bag will get flagged, and i wouldn't be there to try to explain. And i would not know where my bag is when i land. At YYZ security for the checked bags, i can take the PSU out and put it in its own bin before it goes into the scanner and explain to the officer as i am doing it. They will presumably stil want to do an explosives swab on it and maybe take other steps, but i will be able to be there with them. I will —FWIW — have the PSU’s manual a well to show them if they ask, to increase the chance they will understand it is entirely benign. So, it is not a really a question of making it through with issue; the goal is to make it through. (And if they say no, then i can take the drive to Niagara Falls.) |
Just in case anybody else (now or in the future) wants another data point on this sort of question, the whole thing went just as one would hope. I called the Canadian Transport Security (CATSA) special services hot-line the day before and asked if there were any special procedures or other issues I should expect. Once the agent understood what the item was, she was able to confirm, after about 60 seconds of computer searching on her end, that power converters were absolutely allowed in checked and carry-on baggage and other than normal screening procedures, I should expect no problem and did not need to arrange any sort of extra screening with them. And, indeed, at the airport, I was able to put the PSU in my carry-on (switching dirt clothes from it into the PSU’s manufacturer’s box), check the box and take the PSU through Toronto Pearson security completely smoothly. At the carry-on screening station, Canadian Transport Security (CATSA) was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. I had the unit in its protective cloth bag/cover in the bin, having alerted them what it was, and they X-rayed it normally and then an officer carefully looked at for a few seconds, swabbed it for explosives residue and sent me on my way. I hope that it would happen the same way in a US airport, but I suppose it might not be as smooth. |
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