Do you know the security measures that govern your electronic devices at the airport and during the flight?
With the increasingly strict airport security measures applied in international airports, it is worth knowing the rules for the use of electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, cameras, etc.) at the airport and during the flight.
And if the flight is destined for the United States, then you already know that you must take extreme precautions.
These security regulations originate mostly in the US through the TSA but in a short time, they spread to other airports as happened with the prohibition of carrying liquids on board.
Your Electronic Devices Before Boarding
Believe it or not, in the United States they may ask you to turn on the device to demonstrate its operation, if it does not work, it stays on the ground. The same happens with the charge, the batteries must be charged to rule out that the device can be used as an explosive. A device not turning on can also trigger additional security checks.
So the first thing is to verify that before boarding all your devices are working and with charged batteries. In some airports, such as Barcelona, there are vending machines to charge devices, it costs 1 euro for half an hour.
Don’t forget that there are currently suitcases that have two USB connectors to charge devices, and for those who travel a lot in areas where there is no electricity or it is not very reliable, there are external batteries that allow you to charge those devices.
For example, because I love wilderness photography, I recently bought a Ravpower 26800 mA external battery, which allows me to charge a smartphone up to 7 times or 2 times my tablet, or whatever else I need to charge. Plus I can charge up to 3 devices at the same time!
On the other hand, from March 1, 2015, all electronic devices will be separated from hand luggage for a more thorough inspection, so it is better to have them ready at hand and also not to lose sight of them.
The inspection, therefore, will now include electronic devices such as cameras, video cameras, computers, or mobile phones, as well as large electrical devices such as irons, dryers, battery-powered toys, or portable sewing machines.
If you pass the inspection and manage to board, now you have to know what you can and cannot do during the flight.
Your Electronic Devices During The Flight
If you travel often, in recent months you will have noticed that they no longer ask you to turn off your devices during takeoff.
Although laptops, tablets, kindles, and anything else that goes loose should be turned off in the front seat pocket during takeoff, your smartphone should not.
All phones and tablets must be in airplane mode or with cellular services turned off.
You can use Bluetooth to connect some accessories like keyboards or headphones.
What you cannot do is transfer data with your cell phone or tablet (unless you use the company’s Wi-Fi network). Even during takeoff and/or landing you can continue reading with your Kindle, play or watch a movie that you already have loaded, or listen to music.
The companies enable the Wi-Fi service (in the planes that have it) once the ship has reached cruising altitude, that is, 10,000 feet.
Be careful with the use of Wi-Fi, first, you should know that it is not very fast and that the company will charge you for using it, so if it occurs to you to take advantage of the trip to entertain yourself on Facebook, then do not cry when you have to pay …
To get an idea of the costs, I copy here the current prices of Iberia that indicate the cost of the network per hour and the data limit that you can use in each case.
1 hr —————-> €8.99—> data up to 100 MB
4 hr —————->€24.99 —> data up to 200 MB
Full flight —->€29.99 —> data up to 400 MB
Another precaution, if you are going to use the plane’s Wi-Fi network, is to turn off automatic updates, so you can control your consumption.
You also have to know that if you disconnect the flight mode for a while to be able to make a call, the company will bill you for international roaming.
It may happen that if there is very bad weather during the descent, the personnel ask that all the devices in the aircraft be turned off.
In short, in addition to checking the airline and airport website for current security measures, it is best to arrive early to avoid confusion during check-ups, because in the crowd, some electronic devices are sometimes lost sight.
On the other hand, if any device is discharged, you have enough time to load it again before the review. If you put the device in flight mode, charging is faster because a lot of operations that the device does automatically are disabled.
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