Travelling by air with a laptop computer has never been more complicated. These days, with the spate of terrorist threats, electronic devices are being banned by some airlines and airports from being hand-carried. And this includes laptops, which are traditionally hand-carried, as it’s a known fact that checked-in luggage is usually handled harshly. In other words, you can expect your laptop to be thrown around and dropped along with your luggage.

The tips, apparently sent in by Ontrack Data Recovery (who will help you recover your precious data in the event your laptop dies with all those bumps and bruises) include the following:

  • Backing up important files
  • Creating copies of important documents or files on portable media such as CDs and flash drives
  • Securing your laptop’s hard drive and software (BIOS and OS)
  • Enclosing your laptop in protective material and in-between clothes

Now I’m wondering if airlines or travel agents would insure laptops that are checked-in. After all, it’s not the passenger’s fault that he/she cannot bring the machine carry-on. If I were the airport or airline officials, I would allow laptops onboard, but the batteries and other power sources would have to be stowed in checked-in luggage. I think this is a better compromise rather than have the entire thing checked in.

If the security risk would be the possibility of using the gadget for communications, then removing the power source would be one good way to mitigate or minimize this risk.

Now, as for the laptop being another type of threat, remember anything can be used as a weapon. Even batteries wrapped inside a sock can serve as a mace of sorts. So can a canned drink wrapped in a shirt or blanket. Books can be deadly, especially if they’re hardbound. I don’t see the airlines banning socks, shirts and books anytime soon.