Can I carry-on lab equipments on plane?

[IanB]

Around 10 years ago I flew back to Seattle from Bend Oregon. The Bend airport is one of those tiny little ones where you walk out of the terminal right onto the tarmac, walk over to the plane and get on. At the time anyway they had one old fashioned metal detector and none of the fancy security theater. After landing in Seattle it occurred to me that I was in the secure area of a major international airport, having completely bypassed all of the body scanners, pat downs and other nonsense and that any nefarious organization need only pay for a flight out of one of these podunk airports into a major one in order to bypass the security theater and from there they are free to board any other flight to anywhere.

Sadly, the opposite can also be true. I landed on an international arrival into DFW, went through immigration and customs, and was all ready to go to the gate for my domestic departure. No such luck     I left the baggage claim area and was dumped out into the zoo that was the security screening entrance next to the street with a line about a mile long. Not what I needed after a long flight and still hours to reach home. (Also, you can forget about duty free alcohol if you have a connecting flight, as your bottle of precious liquid is going to end up on the wrong side of security.)

[tooki]

To the best of my knowledge, no US airport has immigration that keeps you on the “sterile” side of the airport for immigration and customs inspection, for a simple reason: they require you to have your checked bags with you at customs, but customs is outside the sterile area. The US hasn’t figured out the concept of the transit passenger, and it actually costs US airlines a lot of money, since foreign passengers actively avoid transiting in USA en route to foreign countries.

It’d be so simple to fix this, but since the government doesn’t even acknowledge it’s a problem, it’s not gonna change any time soon.

[bdunham7]

It’d be so simple to fix this, but since the government doesn’t even acknowledge it’s a problem, it’s not gonna change any time soon.

How?  I've never transited a US airport, let alone as a foreigner, but everywhere I can recall travelling I either stayed in the airport without access to my bags or I went out through customs with my bags, then checked them and went back in through security--typically after staying outside the airport.  Many others mandate another trip through security on connecting flights despite not having access to your bags.  IIRC, this has been the procedure at both Heathrow and Zurich---although the airports are set up so that they can change the routing at any time.

[IanB]

Heathrow is slightly annoying. If your connecting flight is from the same terminal, I think you might be able to stay airside without having to go through security again (I'm not sure, I've never done this). However, if you have to take the airside transit bus to a different terminal, I do remember having to go through a second security check.

When long ago I transited through Schiphol, I was able to walk directly from the arrival gate to the departure gate without having to leave the airside sterile area. I think this is because many European airports isolate the domestic parts from the international parts of the airport. If you are airside in the international part, the only way out is through immigration. But you can arrive and depart as a transit passenger without passing through an immigration check, as long as you stay in the gate area.

[wizard69]

The question of it being worth it has me wondering.   I suppose you could get lucky at a west coast surplus shop for used equipment.   I'm not sure I'd bother for full price new equipment.

As for travel, back in the day I gave up on carry on tool boxes (travel between plants) and had them checked.   The average tool box is basically a case of of weapons and with the security clamp down it didn't make sense to even try.

In the case of small instruments I don't think you will have a problem if they can go through X-Ray.   What you may have trouble with is larger equipment and that might not be from security.   Depending upon the airplane and how packed it might be; you might have to have the equipment put into one of the holds, due to size restrictions.   The problem then becomes how well packed is that instrument??   Honestly if you want it to arrive, working, a Pelican case with 4" of foam is a good idea.   It is rather surprising how beat up shipping cases and brief case style tool boxes can get.

As some one else mention your best bet for your new treasures is to go to the local FEdEX office and pack stuff up to ship to yourself.    I once did this on a vacation, with clothing that acted a packing material for something (forgot what it was).   I just didn't want the hassle and the risk of flying it via a passenger airliner.  In any event a little planing can make your trips through an airport far less frustrating, if you can reduce your load to one carry on and one checked it make travel via flying far more enjoyable.

Thank you very much for all the replies.

It’s cool to be able to hear all of the "fun" stories from you all...

And it seems that the general consensus is that I wouldn't be in much trouble as long as I am straightforward with it.

I don't know if saving $200 is worth it or not, but I will figure it out later on...

[fourfathom]

When long ago I transited through Schiphol, I was able to walk directly from the arrival gate to the departure gate without having to leave the airside sterile area.

It's been a few years now, but last time I transferred in Schiphol (Helsinki -> Schiphol -> San Francisco) we had to go through passport check and hand-luggage inspection, and then a secondary security check at the departure gate.

[james_s]

In the case of small instruments I don't think you will have a problem if they can go through X-Ray.   What you may have trouble with is larger equipment and that might not be from security.   Depending upon the airplane and how packed it might be; you might have to have the equipment put into one of the holds, due to size restrictions.   The problem then becomes how well packed is that instrument??   Honestly if you want it to arrive, working, a Pelican case with 4" of foam is a good idea.   It is rather surprising how beat up shipping cases and brief case style tool boxes can get.

About 10 years ago I sent a couple of old instruments I had been given home with my friend to England. What I did was wrap them in bubble wrap and build a case for them out of several layers of cardboard, complete with a carry handle all held together with lots of packing tape. He checked it in like any other bag and it arrived completely intact. It's surprising how sturdy cardboard can be if you engineer it properly, when I was a kid I used to build a lot of stuff out of it.

[fordem]

I'd be rather careful with cash, however. Civil asset forfeiture laws mean that various government agencies are allowed to confiscate money without any legal process, and you stand very little chance of getting it back. Never travel with cash in the USA.

There's a limit to how much cash you can & should carry, anything over USD$10,000 needs to be declared, if you are caught with more than this, and it has NOT been declared it can be confiscated - if you declare it, you'll be questioned as to the reason you are carrying that much cash, and I know of no one who has declared as they say "cash or cash equivalent" and had it confiscated.

I routinely fly into the US carrying what would be considered large sums of US currency, always below the USD$10,000 limit, I expect to be asked by immigration, I answer truthfully and have never had an issue, I have also gone in with "cash or cash equivalent" in excess of the USD$10,000 limit, declared it, again answered the questions truthfully and been on my way after a ten~fifteen minute delay.  I use plastic to pay for accommodation and car rental, but many smaller businesses have difficulty processing credit card transactions when the card issuer is not a US bank.  AML/CFT regulations have made travel challenging.

To the best of my knowledge, no US airport has immigration that keeps you on the “sterile” side of the airport for immigration and customs inspection, for a simple reason: they require you to have your checked bags with you at customs, but customs is outside the sterile area. The US hasn’t figured out the concept of the transit passenger, and it actually costs US airlines a lot of money, since foreign passengers actively avoid transiting in USA en route to foreign countries.

It’d be so simple to fix this, but since the government doesn’t even acknowledge it’s a problem, it’s not gonna change any time soon.

I've transited the US (and many other countries) enroute to other destinations, and not touched my bags between checking them in at the start of my journey and grabbing them off the carousel at my final destination - whether or not you'll need to collect your bags & clear customs at an intransit stop is a function of how your flight has been booked - you might want to have a discussion with your travel agent.

Also, you can forget about duty free alcohol if you have a connecting flight, as your bottle of precious liquid is going to end up on the wrong side of security.

Next time, let the person packing your duty free alcohol know you have a connecting flight, they have bags they can seal the alcohol in and security will allow you to take it with you.

[IanB]

I'd be rather careful with cash, however. Civil asset forfeiture laws mean that various government agencies are allowed to confiscate money without any legal process, and you stand very little chance of getting it back. Never travel with cash in the USA.

There's a limit to how much cash you can & should carry, anything over USD$10,000 needs to be declared, if you are caught with more than this, and it has NOT been declared it can be confiscated - if you declare it, you'll be questioned as to the reason you are carrying that much cash, and I know of no one who has declared as they say "cash or cash equivalent" and had it confiscated.

I routinely fly into the US carrying what would be considered large sums of US currency, always below the USD$10,000 limit, I expect to be asked by immigration, I answer truthfully and have never had an issue, I have also gone in with "cash or cash equivalent" in excess of the USD$10,000 limit, declared it, again answered the questions truthfully and been on my way after a ten~fifteen minute delay.  I use plastic to pay for accommodation and car rental, but many smaller businesses have difficulty processing credit card transactions when the card issuer is not a US bank.  AML/CFT regulations have made travel challenging.

That's not what Civil Asset Forfeiture is all about.

Bear in mind that when you are inside the USA, after passing through immigration, civil law enforcement agencies can confiscate any cash they find on your person or in your car, or in your hotel room, without needing a court order or any justification other than "we think it is suspicious". You do not have to be under arrest, and you do not have to be suspected of any crime. Police departments simply use the confiscation of valuables as a source of revenue.

Here is a primer: https://youtu.be/1mt_AFWL_PU

Also, you can forget about duty free alcohol if you have a connecting flight, as your bottle of precious liquid is going to end up on the wrong side of security.

Next time, let the person packing your duty free alcohol know you have a connecting flight, they have bags they can seal the alcohol in and security will allow you to take it with you.

I understand this may be true in theory, but I would not wish to trust it in practice. As I noted above, when you transfer from an international arrival to a domestic departure, you are essentially discharged from the airport out into the street and you have to enter through security again as if you are commencing a new journey. The security screeners do not know you are a transfer passenger, and all they see is "liquid" in your hand baggage.

[tooki]

It’d be so simple to fix this, but since the government doesn’t even acknowledge it’s a problem, it’s not gonna change any time soon.

How?  I've never transited a US airport, let alone as a foreigner, but everywhere I can recall travelling I either stayed in the airport without access to my bags or I went out through customs with my bags, then checked them and went back in through security--typically after staying outside the airport.  Many others mandate another trip through security on connecting flights despite not having access to your bags.  IIRC, this has been the procedure at both Heathrow and Zurich---although the airports are set up so that they can change the routing at any time.

Literally the point: the US does not give the option for transit passengers (i.e. ones for whom USA is not their final destination) to stay in the airport sans bags. You are required to enter the country via immigration and customs, exiting the sterile area of the airport.

Zurich is my home base, so I know it well. If you’re coming from a non-Schengen country and headed to a Schengen country, then you’ll need to clear immigration (but not customs, AFAIK). If you’re coming from non-Schengen in transit to non-Schengen, you stay airside (“sterile transit”) in the non-Schengen side of the airport. And if you’re going from Schengen to Schengen, you stay airside in the Schengen side of the terminal. (Note that terminal D is virtual: terminal B has two floors, one Schengen and one non-Schengen, and each physical gate has both a B and D gate number, depending on whether it’s being used for a Schengen or non-Schengen flight.)

LHR doesn’t offer sterile transit at the moment.

To the best of my knowledge, no US airport has immigration that keeps you on the “sterile” side of the airport for immigration and customs inspection, for a simple reason: they require you to have your checked bags with you at customs, but customs is outside the sterile area. The US hasn’t figured out the concept of the transit passenger, and it actually costs US airlines a lot of money, since foreign passengers actively avoid transiting in USA en route to foreign countries.

It’d be so simple to fix this, but since the government doesn’t even acknowledge it’s a problem, it’s not gonna change any time soon.

I've transited the US (and many other countries) enroute to other destinations, and not touched my bags between checking them in at the start of my journey and grabbing them off the carousel at my final destination - whether or not you'll need to collect your bags & clear customs at an intransit stop is a function of how your flight has been booked - you might want to have a discussion with your travel agent.

”travel agent”? What is this, 1990? :p

Anyhow, no, it’s not that simple. You’re thinking that if your baggage isn’t “checked through” to the destination, then you have to fetch it (correct), but that if it is checked through, then you don’t have to fetch it (incorrect: it depends on the airport). I did a bit more checking, and the USA expressly eliminated sterile transit after 9/11, even in the few airports that are capable of it. But most airports in USA aren’t capable of it even if they were allowed.

The main issue with USA is that all passengers arriving from abroad are required to formally enter the country. That in turn means having to go through customs. And since they don’t have airside customs clearance, you have to go through security again.

The only way to avoid it is to fly via the handful of international departure airports where US immigration and customs clearance are performed before departure, such that the flight is, legally speaking, a domestic flight. (There are 6 countries with US CBP preclearance facilities: Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, and the UAE.)

Ultimately, it’s an issue with many layers of complexity, but one which many international transit hubs figured out long ago.

[bdunham7]

The main issue with USA is that all passengers arriving from abroad are required to formally enter the country.

This I didn't know.  Does that mean that you cannot transit a US airport if you are not eligible to enter the country?  As would be the case of someone coming from say India and transiting on to Canada where they do have a visa?

[Bicurico]

A few years ago I travelled with a high end TV field meter/analyser, which includes a full spectrum analyser among many other functions.
Its value was around 4000-6000 Euro and I was going to do a test report using some really big dishes.
Due to the value of the instrument, I carried it inside the plane.
All that happens was the usual x-ray. Other than that I got no questions asked.
My opinion is that the security staff is well trained and looking for traces of explosives, certain materials, drugs, etc.
Computers, batteries, electronics, SDR or est equipment does not interest them.

[tooki]

The main issue with USA is that all passengers arriving from abroad are required to formally enter the country.

This I didn't know.  Does that mean that you cannot transit a US airport if you are not eligible to enter the country?  As would be the case of someone coming from say India and transiting on to Canada where they do have a visa?

Correct and correct. There is such a thing as a transit visa, so it’s not as though you have to qualify for a green card, but a visa must still be obtained. (Or the ESTA waiver from visa-free countries.)

[andy3055]

Here is a laugh!
Just two weeks back I traveled to San Diego and in my carry-on I had a bag of prunes. Yes, I get bad constipations all the time due to some medical condition. At SFO, they had to open my bag and sniff the bag of prunes. All good.

On my return yesterday, in San Diego, I went through the same thing. Since I knew the issue and could see the monitor, I joked and said that it must be the prunes. The checker laughed and said that they work great! He must have a similar problem like me!

[Renate]

Computers, batteries, electronics, SDR or test equipment does not interest them.

I pity them!

[Renate]

Here is a laugh!
Just two weeks back I traveled to San Diego and in my carry-on I had a bag of prunes.

Oh, starting on the fruit smuggling anecdotes?

Years ago I was on a bus going between Pakistan and India when the border was only open three times a month. We got off the bus and got the whole nine yards. They even put a chalk mark on my guitar (not a case). When we finally crossed the border we noticed that there was one person missing. It was someone that the officials had taken an unfair dislike to. The bus driver said that he had been refused crossing for "smuggling apricots". He had had a snack bag of dried apricots. Upon hearing that everyon in the bus pulled out their bag of dried apricots. We had all just come from a place where they were grown and cheap.

[andy3055]

That sounds very much like the way the customs guys in those countries used to work many moons back! 

[Ground_Loop]

I design baggage screening and transport systems for airports. This means I visit a lot of airports. I carry electronics all the time and have never been scrutinized, not even with sharp test probes or stuffed tool bags. If they ask just explain what it is. You'll be fine.

[basinstreetdesign]

Last time I tried to travel by air with carry-on tools was sometime in the 2000s.  I tried to take a portable soldering iron on board and it was confiscated.  I would get it back when I returned, they said. [I never did] They had no idea what it was and didn't care but it was sharp and looked like something a hijacker could use so it was grounded.  That was when the hijack scare was very strong - not even liquids in a bottle was allowed.

BTW: I read the title of this thread as "Can I carry-on [doing] lab experiments on plane?"

I immediately thought:  Sure, go for it and let us know how that goes! 

[t1d]

BTW: I read the title of this thread as "Can I carry-on [doing] lab experiments on plane?"
I immediately thought:  Sure, go for it and let us know how that goes!

I did understand what was intended by the title, but I read the thread, because I wondered if I might be allowed to take a breadboard, battery power supply, cheap (throw-away-able, if not allowed) multimeter, MCU programmer and a couple of handfuls of components on the plane to entertain myself on a long flight. For clarification, I have several expendable multimeters that came free-with-purchase from Harbor Freight... Although, I realize offing any usable multimeter is sacrilege.

[Bicurico]

I don't think it would be very smart to be handling breadboard, wires, DMM, etc. on the small table. It could bother the person next to you and it could look suspicious: are you assembling the detonator of a bomb?

It's not what you bring along, it's how weird you behave.

Why not use a laptop and circuit simulator?

[t1d]

it could look suspicious: are you assembling the detonator of a bomb? It's not what you bring along, it's how weird you behave.
Why not use a laptop and circuit simulator?

Oh, gosh, that is a great point! Just hadn't thought of it that way. Sure, I have used my laptop, as you suggest. Hands on is just more fun, IMO. But, the laptop certainly can scratch the itch.

[SilverSolder]

Laptop with LTSpice will make any flight go faster!

[fordem]

I understand this may be true in theory, but I would not wish to trust it in practice. As I noted above, when you transfer from an international arrival to a domestic departure, you are essentially discharged from the airport out into the street and you have to enter through security again as if you are commencing a new journey. The security screeners do not know you are a transfer passenger, and all they see is "liquid" in your hand baggage.

Security screeners, at least those in the international airports, Miami International, Fort Lauderdale, Piarco (Trinidad) and Grantley Adams (Barbados) are the ones that I have repeatedly passed through with duty free alcohol, will recognize the duty free bag, and allow it through, provided the seal has not been broken.

[tkamiya]

I don't think it's really worth the trouble.  If it were me, I'll ship it home.  How TSA agents react highly depends on their mood.  You can assume safe and not dangerous stuff will be allowed, but you'll never know.

I once had a contractor who told me he was questioned at length about his ethernet cable crimper.