Back to Basics: 6 Simple Tips for Laptop Use at 40,000 Feet

I travel with my laptop most every time I hit the road, so I have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to balance the need to get work done with the regulations of using electronic equipment while traveling.

Here are 6 simple tips to make using your laptop at 40,000 feet as simple as using it at your desk:

1. If you have wi-fi access, encrypt it.  You should not have it enabled on the airplane, but most of us have booted up and seen a number of networks available.  If you don’t encrypt, someone may be seeing more than you want them to.
2. Keep wandering eyes away from your laptop screen.  There are privacy shields that can keep your screen from being viewed by others.  Or, as a friend suggested when I complained about the wandering eyes of a seatmate, do your typing with a small font that is impossible for them to read.  Of course, I’ll then have trouble reading it as well, but at least I can get my thoughts down and do editing later.
3. When you’re working on your laptop, don’t extend it into the aisle.  Flight Attendants are pushing large carts through the aisle, people are walking back and forth, and there’s always the possibility of turbulence.  Don’t run the risk of having your laptop become a casualty of flight — keep it within your personal space.
4. Close the top of your laptop when the Flight Attendant is serving your row, or the beverage cart is nearby.  Do not hold your glass out for a refill over your keyboard.  (People actually do this!)  Flight Attendants try very hard to avoid spills, but it happens.
5. Use earplugs.  Even better, use earplugs that work.  If your music, movie, or other audio can be heard by a Flight Attendant walking through the cabin, you will be asked to turn it down or off.  You may really love that song you are listening to, but not everyone around you will feel the same way.
6. No adult content.  Whether it’s video or photos, adult content is not acceptable for the airplane.  If you can’t figure out that this material is best viewed in private, a Flight Attendant will remind you.  If you still can’t figure it out, you will be told to shut it down.

Photo credit:  SXC

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