Originally Posted by
IAH-OIL-TRASH
I will never let a laptop be separated from myself. As a last resort, one can place it behind one's back for takeoff and landing if the airline insists on putting the bag in the hold and you have no alternative bag. If I know I'll be a bulkhead seat w/ no floor storage, I pack a minimal bag (actually a pouch) in my carry-on that I place items I will use at my seat into and put behind my back for takeoff and landing. Don't even have to bother with retrieving stuff from overhead.
Exactly, I would remove my laptop before I would let the bag be placed in the cargo hold. If I was in a bulkhead and could not place it under the seat in front of me, I would either do the behind the back trick or into the overhead. It would have to be a incredibly packed overhead where I could not find enough space to stick it. When I've been in a bulkhead, I've often taken it out of the bag and placed it in the overhead to make it faster to retrieve once allowed.