Flying With Uncharged Laptop
I've been living in Australia for the past few months and during that time my laptop charger broke. I haven't bought another one because I have a spare charger back home and haven't seen the need to spend the money on one.
I know you are supposed to be able to prove the laptop works and in fact I've been asked before to power my laptop on while going through security. Does this mean I should put my laptop in my checked luggage but put the battery in my carry on?
I'd really rather not put my laptop in checked luggage because it is somewhat fragile, what are the consequences of my laptop not powering on if I am asked to power it on? Is it worth the risk?
Best Answer
Ideally you should check with the all airlines and involved and the security administrations of all airports you go through. However that's easier said than done.
In practice this is a relic of the distant past and a complete non-issue. US security (TSA) has stopped this practice many years ago. Over the last 5 years I've flown 500k+ miles in 20+ countries (including Australia and the US) and never had to turn on anything. This is NOT a guarantee (and you are unlikely to get one) but 99.9% chance that this is just fine.
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Do I have to remove the battery from my laptop to fly?
The TSA isn't the only government entity that has rules about laptops \u2013 or, at least, their batteries. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that any spare lithium ion and lithium metal batteries go in your carry-on luggage, not into checked bags.Can you bring a laptop on a plane carry-on?
Neither the TSA nor the airlines give much guidance on packing a computer. You can pack a laptop or even a desktop computer in your carry on or checked bags.This is Why You Can't Bring Your Laptop On Certain Flights
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Answer 2
It's not disallowed to carry a computer that won't power on. Rather, turning it on is just one expedient way to show that it is a genuine computer. I have travelled with a Mac mini as carry-on luggage before, whose operation was not convenient to demonstrate. It's also not uncommon at all for travellers to run out of battery on their devices. They should be able to use alternate screening methods, such as swabbing for traces of explosives.
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