Keep Your Laptop Safe During Flight

It amazes me how many people are loathe to let go of their laptop as they pass through the security screen, but then are so casual about it when they’re on the plane.  People who are reluctant to stow their laptop beneath the seat in front of them, yet think nothing of angling it out in the aisle.

I’ve mentioned these inflight laptop precautions many times, but since I still see these lapses in judgment nearly every day, I guess they worth repeating.

• If your laptop is in a sleeve or other light case, keep it beneath your seat whether you want to use it during the flight or not.  If you place it in the overhead bin, you run the risk of other bags getting tossed onto it.
• If you’ve packed your laptop in a briefcase or heavier bag and you want to use it during flight, keep it beneath your seat.  You shouldn’t be up before the seatbelt sign is turned off, and if you have it beneath the seat you can safely take it out whenever you’re ready.  If you’re not going to use it during flight (be sure now!), then go ahead and put it in the overhead.
• Don’t angle the edge of your laptop out into the aisle.  A service cart will be pulled through the aisle, perhaps a couple of times, and people will be walking by you.  While you may intend to tuck it in when someone is nearby, you’re going to forget.  Or someone is going to stumble or trip.  Or the cart is going to steer a-kilter and nick you.  Just keep it out of the aisle and keep it safe.
• When the serving cart is near you, close the top and wait for it to pass you by.  Although we don’t mean to, we spill.  We’re trying to juggle food and beverage in an often bumpy environment.  Spills happen.  Additionally, people can bump into us or the cart, rough air can cause things to tumble, and other people can spill as well.  It’s bad enough to have something spill on the exterior of your laptop, but far worse for it to spill into your keyboard.  Close the lid.
• If you elect to disregard the above recommendation, when your drink is passed, don’t hold out your hand for it to be passed over your keyboard. No matter how careful we try to be, spills still happen.  Don’t tempt fate.
• Make sure that your laptop doesn’t angle out into your neighbor’s space.  While Flight Attendants are conscious and try hard not to let anything spill, your neighbor might not be as conscientious.
• If you leave your seat to head to the lavatory or galley, close your laptop and put in on the seat.  Don’t leave it open on your tray table.  You don’t want to run the risk of turbulence causing it to go flying off the tray table, and you certainly don’t need to leave your work within view of prying eyes.

Common sense suggestions?  You bet.  But there’s rarely a flight that goes by where I don’t seen common sense fly right out the window when it comes to using a laptop.

Are there things that you do to keep your laptop safe when flying?  Please share them with readers in the comments.

Photo credit:  SXC