NetNathan

On a recent UA flight.
My arriving flight from SIN-SFO was late and I had to rush to the gate to get my SFO-ONT flight.
I was the last one to board.
They insisted there was no more overhead bin space and I would have to check my Laptop bag.
When I got home and opened my bag to remove my laptop, I noticed it had been severely damaged, actually crushed on the back left side.
It is a Dell Precision Workstation....not cheap.
I have contacted United about it and they want me to take it to Ontario, CA UA baggage department for inspection.

How will they handle this?
Will they keep my laptop....in which case I have to "sanitize" it before giving it to them. It has a lot of work related software and files on it.
Will they buy me an "equivalent" replacement or replace it? Will I have to leave it with them?

mtftw

Why did your laptop get the boot instead of being stored under the seat in front of you? Bulkhead?

Secondly, was it in a regular laptop bag or some kind of other setup? UA's liability page says this:

United is not liable for the destruction, loss or damage of any baggage caused by:

• Inherent defect of baggage
• Poor quality of baggage
• Baggage being over-packed
• Ordinary wear and tear

Makes me think a regular laptop bag may be considered "poor quality" given that it's not designed to be checked to begin with...

WineCountryUA

Being an international flight you may get some minimal compensation but generally is best in this situation to remove the computer from the bag and take the computer onboard with you. Or have a bag that can be placed at your underseat storage area.

jsloan

This is key. On a purely domestic itinerary, UA's liability is zero -- they specifically exclude liability for damage to electronics in the Contract of Carriage, and DOT policy allows for exclusions documented in this way. However, for international travel, including domestic connecting travel, UA is not allowed to exclude liability in this way.

Per the Montreal Convention, UA's liability for baggage issues is capped at 1,131 Special Drawing Rights (the unit of account for the IMF). At current exchange rates, that's about $1,627. Any compensation above that amount is a matter of UA's goodwill.

As to how it will be handled -- that's up to you. I would take it in immediately to show them the damage and then determine what the best course of action is. If they want you to leave it with them, tell them that you need to remove sensitive data first and you can bring it back.

You should also follow up with your employer, especially if they actually own the device. They may want to follow up with United on their own.

mtftw

This is actually what I would suggest first. I know that my employer would prefer to just handle the matter internally due to the sensitivity of data on a work machine. It also, of course, helps if your employer has a contract with UA and therefore an escalation path.

NetNathan

On small flights, I have a also had to check my computer bag at the gate and it gets "green tagged" and I pick it up on arrival at the gate, not the baggage pickup.
It is a padded computer bag, on rollers. It appears it was dropped during unloading or "tossed" into the plane at SFO due to the late arrival.

jsloan

In the future, you need a laptop bag that can fit underneath the seat in front of you, or you need to remove your laptop from the bag before allowing it to be checked. If this had been a purely domestic itinerary, UA's liability would have been zero.

WineCountryUA

My computer never leaves my possession. will hand care if need be.
I have a similar McKlein and while it has some padding, there is none on the sides. No really intended to be checked. As others have mentioned, I am thiking of downsizing althought I rarely fly the smaller UX.

FlyerTalker70

Technically you are in the wrong here. It is against FAA and IATA regulations to pack any device containing a battery in the cargo hold due to the risk of there being an unconfined fire. If anything you should have removed the laptop from the bag and brought it on board with you. If the FA/GA gave you any pushback for doing so remind them that they would be in violation of Federal law by accepting a bag with such a battery (and no removing the battery cell from a laptop doesn't remove the risk since most laptops have an embedded battery for CMOS).

-James

WineCountryUA

That is factually incorrect per FAA Fact Sheet – Lithium Batteries
The restrictions only applies to LiION and not other batteries. And the restriction only applies to removable LiION batteries. I beleive there is also a max watt-hour rating.

Some governments (China) have stricter requirements. Some airlines have additional limitations -- UA has a limitation on carry-on smart bags without a removable battery.

threeoh

This is not correct. The FAA recommends that devices containing lithium batteries, such as laptops, not be checked. However, only loose, un-installed spare batteries or damaged batteries are prohibited in checked baggage. IATA has more complicated advice/rules depending on size, etc. (which, for example, excludes small CMOS batteries).

FAA: https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets...m?newsId=23054
IATA: https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/...um-battery.pdf

In short, it's not illegal to check a laptop. It's just a bad idea.

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.

HNLbasedFlyer

You might want to edit your photo so your name and address is not shown.....

Often1

As to this incident, it is covered by the Montreal Convention and thus OP may collect the lesser of the cost of repair or the fair market value of the laptop up to approximately $1,650. FMV matters with a laptop because their value plummets as soon as you plug the thing in for the first time.

As a practical matter, it sounds as though this is an employer-owned machine. In that case, have your employer deal with it. Your employer may have coverage, choose to bear the risk, or pursue UA.

On the broader issue, if all other options failed, I would pull the laptop out of its case, wrap it in a jacket and stuff it into the OH. Chances are it's safer and going to be held in place. You can then gate check the empty case and not worry about whether it gets banged around.

drowelf

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.