I'm off to PEK alone this week and, for the first time on this route, will have only a single carry-on. My plan is to put it in the overhead, but I would like access to my laptop in-flight (I want to watch movies). I have a window seat and, though it's a 777, I still don't want to unnecessarily bother my seatmate by climbing in and out to retrieve and eventually stow my laptop.

I know, very well, that UA does not permit laptops in seatback pockets during takeoff and landing and my inclination is to not violate the rule -- "rules are rules" and I try to follow them, even if they don't make a lot of sense.

This one, I think, doesn't make a lot of sense -- at least I don't understand the rational behind it. Mine is a mid-size machine and quite light. It will fit entirely within the pocket with nothing sticking out, hence it is quite secure. What is the rationale behind the prohibition? As I said, I don't intend to challenge it or violate it, but I would like to understand why both myself and the stranger seated in the aisle seat next to me will be inconvenienced by it.

Wouldn't want to anyways. Seatback pockets are filthy...

The reason behind it is the same reason that all carry-ons must be beneath the seat or overhead- projectiles during turbulance.

Though some laptops are quite light, others are heavy and could fly out / cause injury in severe turbulence.

Highly unlikely I know... but I believe that's the reason behind the rule.

On such a long flight... I don't think your seatmate would be that bothered by getting up twice.

You don't know where my laptop has been!

Okay, that makes sense, I guess. I've never been in turbulence however where the FAs asked people to stow their laptops though, particularly on trans-Pacific, I'm sure that can happen.

Get a sleeve for your laptop, and place it on the floor under the seat in front of you.

Good idea! I'll do that tomorrow.

I love FlyerTalk.

I just flew SFO-PEK and ICN-SFO in C, and must admit I broke the rule, since my MacBook Pro easily fit into the seat pocket w/o any protrusion. So I left it there for the duration, well except when I was working on it. I think the rule derives from the days of very bulky laptops, and agree that if this was still an issue, then during turbulence the FAs would ask us to all stow our laptops in the overheads or underneath the seat in front of us. Since they don't....well, let's just say I'm not a good role model. Let's not start on cell phones....

If your carryon is small enough, but big enough with enough space for your notebook computer, you can put your laptop inside and then underneath the seat. If not under the seat, I'm sure you'll be needing to go to the lavatory at some point during the long flight to PEK, so when you do so it'll also be a good time to reach the overheads to retrieve your laptop.

Or you can slip it between your seat and the wall. That's where I stow mine.

This is what I've also been informed as well. I've also heard it implied that the purpose of the seatback pocket was for placement of the emergency procedures card. Another version mentioned something about the airline only allows the items they place there (i.e., emergency card, convenience bag, magazines).

Guy behind u can steal that easily then...

On a few of my recent flights, the elastic holding the seat back pocket up to the back of the seat in front of me was so horribly worn, the thing dangled against my knees.

Probably because of people putting heavy items in it. Laptops, perhaps?

My concern would be random chewing gum in the seat pocket. Not so much a problem with reading material, but a laptop with a warm CPU could be sticky.

Hard-and-fast rule is much easier than case-by-case. My laptop is 4.7 lb
(1 lb bigger than I want, but that's all I could get in an emergency when I
needed one in a hurry) and would probably not damage anyone during a
takeoff or landing irregularity, but I've seen behemoths of close on a dozen
pounds that could conceivably cause tons of difficulty testing the laws of
physics. "Why can't I," I can hear someone saying, "when he gets to put
his there?"

After some Code 6 Turbulence that I experienced last year where I found pieces of a "small" laptop strewn through the cabin with a few displaced PSU panels.... I agree with the rule. Not to mention putting items of mass in there only stretches out the seatback so that it sags.... and eventually those metal bars snap.

Rules exist for a reason. Maybe instead of the "what about ME" attitude we could realize that we don't need to have everything we own within 3 inches of our body for each flight and that some rules WILL inherently inconvenience you, that's just part of living.