Travel with 27" iMac
Apr 25, 2015, 4:14 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 19
Travel with 27" iMac
Just booked my first award first class ticket.
The route is
SFO-HND (Japan Airlines first class)
HND-HKG (Cathay Pacific first class)
HKG-TPE (Cathay Pacific business class)
Now I'm hoping to bring a 27" iMac in its original case, in addition to my carry-on (with a laptop inside). Would I be allowed to board with these two pieces?
If this doesn't work, can I bring the iMac and a laptop backpack?
The route is
SFO-HND (Japan Airlines first class)
HND-HKG (Cathay Pacific first class)
HKG-TPE (Cathay Pacific business class)
Now I'm hoping to bring a 27" iMac in its original case, in addition to my carry-on (with a laptop inside). Would I be allowed to board with these two pieces?
If this doesn't work, can I bring the iMac and a laptop backpack?
Apr 25, 2015, 5:27 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: JGC Sapphire
Posts: 283
I am unable to speak of ex-SFO.
But if you are on transit, normally the air-side transit security would turn a blind eye unless it is obviously going to cause a problem...so your biggest problem would be at SFO. Will SFO's TSA let you bring such an item?
Just curious though, if you are carrying such a fragile item, why don't you do SFO-HND-TSA all on JL, save time, fewer transits, less likely to go wrong if you have to send it as a check baggage.
My experience with JL is everything gets treated rather gently if it has a fragile tag, depends on the airport, mine was on a cart with all fragile tag items next to the conveyor belt, instead of "on the conveyor belt". If there is only 1 airline for the whole trip, they would not be able to blame the another airline for the damage.
But if you are on transit, normally the air-side transit security would turn a blind eye unless it is obviously going to cause a problem...so your biggest problem would be at SFO. Will SFO's TSA let you bring such an item?
Just curious though, if you are carrying such a fragile item, why don't you do SFO-HND-TSA all on JL, save time, fewer transits, less likely to go wrong if you have to send it as a check baggage.
My experience with JL is everything gets treated rather gently if it has a fragile tag, depends on the airport, mine was on a cart with all fragile tag items next to the conveyor belt, instead of "on the conveyor belt". If there is only 1 airline for the whole trip, they would not be able to blame the another airline for the damage.
Apr 25, 2015, 8:38 pm
#5
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 6_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/536.26 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0 Mobile/10B142 Safari/8536.25)
I would agree with nshizuoka25...
I would agree with nshizuoka25...
Apr 25, 2015, 8:39 pm
#6
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 6_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/536.26 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0 Mobile/10B142 Safari/8536.25)
Not to mention cx f has nothing to rave about.
Not to mention cx f has nothing to rave about.
Apr 25, 2015, 8:51 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Anywhere
Posts: 6,567
No experience on CX per se. But I've had experience transporting two boxes of Lego which is about the same size on JL from SFO to SIN via TYO. The airline put it in a fairly sturdy looking plastic box and everything came out perfectly at the final destination.
Last edited by carrotjuice; Apr 25, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Apr 25, 2015, 9:44 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
Apr 26, 2015, 2:56 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
I would not check-it in with all the marketing logos on it, as not to tempt anyone enroute to "lose" it: either in a suitcase, or, if it was shipped individually (e.g. Amazon or Apple online), in the plain looking box it traversed it last several hundred kilometers as a package.
Apr 26, 2015, 3:15 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2006
Programs: MUCCI
Posts: 5,706
At the very least it will be palleted, with a wrap around the outside. Most likely in a solid walled container.
Apr 26, 2015, 3:19 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2006
Programs: MUCCI
Posts: 5,706
Looking at the box of a 'late 2012' 27 inch iMac, I'm not at all confident it would fit through many airport x-ray machines, regardless of orientation. So I'm not confident of it going like that.
That said, I think the 27" iMac itself could be boxed/bagged tightly enough to travel as cabin luggage (doesn't need too much protection, as you will be there to look after it). Send the empty box (suitably disguised on outside) as hold luggage.
That said, I think the 27" iMac itself could be boxed/bagged tightly enough to travel as cabin luggage (doesn't need too much protection, as you will be there to look after it). Send the empty box (suitably disguised on outside) as hold luggage.
Apr 26, 2015, 4:02 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PVG
Programs: SK*G, QR*G
Posts: 514
I brought a 5K iMac OSL FRA PVG a couple of weeks ago. This was in the original box as I received it, however it came not only with the white box with the iMac pictures, but in a brown box outside this.
I didn't feel scared to check this, and it went fine. I wouldn't hesitate to do this again.
The box is bigger than a suitcase, so no it would never work to carry on in the box.
I didn't feel scared to check this, and it went fine. I wouldn't hesitate to do this again.
The box is bigger than a suitcase, so no it would never work to carry on in the box.
Apr 26, 2015, 5:03 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,502
I don't think there is a realistic chance that you will be allowed that as hand luggage in all three flights.
In fact, having it accepted in SFO would be a poisoned gift as I think that there is zero chance it will be allowed at HND. Japan is a country where people are always extremely nice and polite but where typically, a rule is a rule and deviating from it is frowned upon a lot. Your proposed "carry on" would vastly exceed the allowed size and checking it mid-way through your trip rather than from the start might be more awkward.
Either leave it at home or pack it well and plan to have it as checked luggage.
In fact, having it accepted in SFO would be a poisoned gift as I think that there is zero chance it will be allowed at HND. Japan is a country where people are always extremely nice and polite but where typically, a rule is a rule and deviating from it is frowned upon a lot. Your proposed "carry on" would vastly exceed the allowed size and checking it mid-way through your trip rather than from the start might be more awkward.
Either leave it at home or pack it well and plan to have it as checked luggage.