yosithezet

Would be great if someone passing through could add a pic of that print out to a wiki post.

C17PSGR

Good to see that they have the process together on this.

It does seem strange, however, that they don't seem to be loaning laptops per their announcement. Seems to me that they could get a couple of hundred basic Dell laptops almost immediately. Announcing it but not implementing it doesn't make sense.

And ... wondering where the Galaxy S8+ fits in terms of the sizer ...

Dr. HFH

Sorry for not including this earlier. Laptop wrap desk was before security. The staff at the laptop desk, however, power up my laptop to ensure that it worked before the wrapping process commenced. After laptop wrapping was completed, staffer took the plastic bag containing my laptop directly to the checkin desk where he waited for me while I went through security with my carryon.


Didn't see anyone with a Kindle, iPad or similar.

miamiflyer8

Sorry for not reading the thread, but what if I manage to sneak my MacBook Air or iPad onto one of the subjected flights?

Gino Troian

Just wanted to comment that the process was smooth HBE-DOH-IAH. No mention of checking electronics in Alex, and was able to gate-check laptop and camera. Was allowed to bring on my Bose QC25 headphones without any issue.

One thing though, is that the electronics box was put out on the carousel, without anyone checking. I was able to grab mine and possibly others if I were a thief. I have GE so customs took less than 5 minutes and was first to arrive at the carousel. I could see this being a problem if you are a foreigner on a visa and have to wait at the customs queue which seemed to go on forever at IAH.

sweetsleep

thanks for the info Gina.
what kind of camera did you gate check?Was it a DSLR body? What about your lenses? Did you carry them or check them? She said she had seen photos of the process and acted like it was very well done.
I just got off the phone with Qatar and apparently they are bubble wrapping and boxing camera bodies and are marking them as fragile. I will fly May 2 BEY>DOH>DFW so hopefully low chance of theft at any of those airports and I have GE and a 4+ hour layover there.
She told me I CAN gate check my camera in DOH even though I am connecting from BEY. Good to know.
I am considering putting my camera body in a Vinnibag at BEY and checking it as this device has an air cushion so the fragile item is suspended in an air bubble of sorts.
I was assured on my call that lenses should be fine in carry on as they are not "electronic".
Still have some time to decide what to do.

Gino Troian

I only have a small film Nikon 28ti camera, but they insisted I checked it with my laptop. Fragile stickers were also put on the box. I think you should be fine checking in the body and keeping the lenses on board, as lenses are usually quite more expensive than DSLR bodies.

Always Flyin

Perhaps you should actually read the thread.

How do you expect to sneak a MacBook or iPad past a metal detector and an X-Ray machine?

Dr. HFH

I transit DOH on average once/month, and that has never been my experience.

sdsearch

I hope everyone's experience matches what you were told on the call, because some lenses do have electronics in them. So I'm concerned that it may depend on the agent on the scene knowing / not knowing that some lenses have electronics as to whether they force you to check them. Ie, is this published policy, or was this just a phone agent's assumption (based on not knowing that some "smart" lenses do indeed have electronics in them)?

Though of course only a tine fraction of the lens is electronics, even on those lenses that do have electronics in them.

A Nikon 28ti has a very obvious flash on the front, and so I think most anyone would judge that to be "every electronic". (A flash unit requires way more battery power than a film camera with just a meter and no flash.)

Oh, and that analog display that allows you to "hip shoot" better, wow, to someone who doesn't know what that is and doesn't examine it carefully, that looks too much like a timer, and who wants something with electronics and a timer going into the cabin of a plane?

So I'm not sure whether your 28ti experience shows that all film camera bodies are subject to gate-check, or not.

As to expense of body vs lens:

If you want film SLR lenses to work on your DSLR the same way as they did on a 35mm SLR, you need a full-frame DSLR. Price full-frame DSLRs, and you'll see that in that case the DSLR body may be more expensive than most lenses that most people are likely to carry-on (though of course it depends on how many lenses you carry on vs how many DSLR bodies).

sweetsleep

Canon EOS Rebel SL1body
Lenses: 18-250mm;55-250mm. NOT bringing a wide angle lens.

I am at best a photo beginner,just would like advice as to whether these lenses could be considered "electronic"? I would guess no?

But if I must check the lenses in my luggage then so be it. Really want my camera for my Kenya trip and to take photos of my elderly mom and her elderly friend and family in Lebanon as they will likely not see each other again.

Thanks in advance

sweetsleep

Oops,
lenses are 18-55mm and 55-250mm.
I need to go to bed!

sdsearch

I suspect the agents who make the evaluation at the gate are even less experienced photographers than you are.

So the question is not whether your lenses are electronic, but whether the agents have been instructed (or decide on their own) that since some lenses are electronic and they don't know how tell them apart, they won't allow any lenses on board. Or whether they have no clue that lenses can be electronic, and so they allow all lenses board. Or whether it varies from one agent to the next (because they haven't been trained on this specific question).

If an agent insists that your lens may be electronic, I doubt you can argue against that (without taking apart and destroying the lens, at least).

The electronics that exist in some lenses are triggered by signals from the camera body, and may do things like assist in the auto focus or do vibration reduction stuff. If you know your lenses don't have VR, then that is factored out. If your lenses are manual focus only, then they pretty definitely aren't electronic. But again, it's what the agent decides, not what is the actual fact, that matters.

C17PSGR

Any news on whether there are loaner laptops in J?

Silver Falcon

Does anyone have an idea if you can take a GoPro camera on board with you?