pleo in the airport security

[pleoguy101]

I've been thinking about pleo and airport security, dont you think that the people running the security system will think pleo has a bomb in him, and that they will take pleo? That would be horrible!!

[amjoie]

I've been thinking about pleo and airport security, dont you think that the people running the security system will think pleo has a bomb in him, and that they will take pleo? That would be horrible!!

I asked earlier about the status of Pleo in carry on luggage, for this very reason. I think someone should find out, before we have a Pleo-napping incident by airport officials, and some child is reduced to tears for the entire duration of a vacation, or longer ....

In the meantime, to be safe, please pack Pleo in check in luggage, with him turned off, and take no risks with your little friend. Or better yet, if you're flying, leave him with a Pleo sitter. Better safe than sorry. :(

[hardyfoster]

i wouldn't worry about it since an explosive can be disguised as anything.

i always had a concern about a laptop and the stored data being messed up by whatever the scanner puts out. but nothing ever happened.

i don't know if any of that would affect pleos memory and such.

[amjoie]

i wouldn't worry about it since an explosive can be disguised as anything.

i always had a concern about a laptop and the stored data being messed up by whatever the scanner puts out. but nothing ever happened.

i don't know if any of that would affect pleos memory and such.

Airport security has the right to ask you to turn on any laptop you wish to take aboard. If it won't turn on, they confiscate it. People with run down laptop batteries have lost computers, that way.

I would not want to see some overzealous airport security personnel confiscate a Pleo with a run down battery. This isn't silliness. It is a real concern.

I think it would be good for someone from Ugobe to take a Pleo to the airport with the most strict security policy, and find out just how they intend to deal with it. Airports have not been in this situation before, and they need time to formulate policy before October/November when Pleos make their appearance at an airport near you. They need time to get the memos out to employees. At the very least, they should have an example of a Pleo scan, so employees can be educated with what a Pleo out of the box should look like on an airport scan -- that, or be told it is not safe to scan a Pleo because they can destroy it, that way. But something has to be done, soon. Especially if people are going to be taking gifts with them over the holidays.

[mweed]

Airport security has the right to ask you to turn on any laptop you wish to take aboard. If it won't turn on, they confiscate it. People with run down laptop batteries have lost computers, that way.

I would not want to see some overzealous airport security personnel confiscate a Pleo with a run down battery. This isn't silliness. It is a real concern.

I think it would be good for someone from Ugobe to take a Pleo to the airport with the most strict security policy, and find out just how they intend to deal with it. Airports have not been in this situation before, and they need time to formulate policy before October/November when Pleos make their appearance at an airport near you. They need time to get the memos out to employees. At the very least, they should have an example of a Pleo scan, so employees can be educated with what a Pleo out of the box should look like on an airport scan -- that, or be told it is not safe to scan a Pleo because they can destroy it, that way. But something has to be done, soon. Especially if people are going to be taking gifts with them over the holidays.

Even checked in luggage with a wrapped pleo in box as a Christmas present is likely to be x-rayed and may be detained by security.

[hardyfoster]

did a quick search and found this about aibo
http://www.aibo-life.org/forums/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=006160

it kind of makes sense about the battery since those are usually in the form of a block.

[pleoguy101]

I dont know, I might just take amjoies pleo sitting idea, just to be safe

[amjoie]

did a quick search and found this about aibo
http://www.aibo-life.org/forums/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=006160

it kind of makes sense about the battery since those are usually in the form of a block.

AIBO isn't quite the same. The security people have seen little robots before. But Pleo looks different -- not so much like a robot. More like something that was supposed to be a benign toy, and then got filled with something not so benign, and just *called* a robot to avoid being caught. It could cause more suspicion, until it gets well known out there.

Also, taking the battery out of Pleo is not quite so easy ....

I would suggest shipping Pleo in advance of the holidays, via UPS/Fed Ex (so you can track him), to the proper location in a wrapped box, if he is going to be a holiday gift for someone distant. And I would suggest overnight or 2nd day UPS/Fed Ex to get him safely home, if you get a holiday gift from someone else at a distant location and need to fly home. Especially if eBay is selling him for a high cost, because he could easily get stolen at the airport if someone knows they can sell him for a huge amount.

This year, things could be a little touchy, security-wise, for Pleo.

[June03]

I should think airport security are uset to mechanical toys, furbies and what have you... But bringing the manual and whatever brochures one might have could be a good idea if they want to know more about him. And perhaps travel wiht the battery fully charged so you can switch him on for a session of show and tell... (if Pleo can be securely turned off, and will not accidentally turn on while packed down and hurt himself). I would prefer carrying onboard, just because checked luggage can be treated quite harshly. I would never dream of checking any of my aibos, they wold go carry on definitely.

[amjoie]

I should think airport security are uset to mechanical toys, furbies and what have you... But bringing the manual and whatever brochures one might have could be a good idea if they want to know more about him. And perhaps travel wiht the battery fully charged so you can switch him on for a session of show and tell... (if Pleo can be securely turned off, and will not accidentally turn on while packed down and hurt himself). I would prefer carrying onboard, just because checked luggage can be treated quite harshly. I would never dream of checking any of my aibos, they wold go carry on definitely.

Regular airport personnel might be OK with something like Pleo. But, around the holidays, a lot of places hire additional help. Those people might have a tendency to be either not careful enough or overzealous. I guess I, personally, wouldn't chance it. But everyone has to make up their own mind.

Regarding airport handling (which I agree can be brutal) I was hoping for a fully padded case, built to handle something like that. In the absence of a specially designed case made to fit a Pleo, anyone doing any traveling with Pleo should be making their own travel case. Maybe some shock absorbing foam padding around the original packaging material Pleo is shipped in, and then a case around that which does not allow for any additional movement. But it also has to be something relatively easy to open up, show Pleo is no problem, and then repack.

Taking the companion guide along is a very good idea. Maybe having Pleo in his original box is a good idea, too. Anything to show them he is legit. But I don't know if all that would even fit in a carry on case.

And you should be prepared to check Pleo, regardless of whether you want to bring him carry on. It is always possible they will tell you Pleo is not allowed on board and *must* be checked. Best to have him fully padded, so you are ready for any eventuality. I have had the same airline allow a carry on case for one leg of the journey, and disallow it on the other leg. Same airline, same regs, different people making the choice of whether or not it gets aboard. So you never really know ...

One thing for sure, no matter what, allow for plenty of extra time. Whenever there is an exception to the norm, things can slow down to a crawl, and the extra couple hours can get chewed up fast. I'm sure no one wants to miss their flight because of unavoidable "Pleo delays."

[June03]

Here's an idea for making a safe bag for Pleo (not my idea, got it from here, see links to visuals in the thread http://www.aibo-life.org/forums/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005163#000018 )

Get one of those aluminum pilot/camera cases. Make a safe and snug nest for Pleo (and accessories) from foam (there's 'tear-out-bits' tupe foam, or just regular foam you cut) in the bag. Sturdy and safe, and easy to open and show if asked to. Especially if the bag is high, you put Pleo's 'layer' on the top (store other things underneath under a sheet of cardboard/foamcore etc)

Of course at the moment I have no idea what size Pleo will be in "transoprt/rest" position. But hopefully a regular pilot case sized bag will fit him and accessories, and extras nicely. I'd imagine making vaious slots/compartments to hold other things you want to put in the bag. Who makes the most innovative interior into one of those bags?! ;)

[amjoie]

Here's an idea for making a safe bag for Pleo (not my idea, got it from here, see links to visuals in the thread http://www.aibo-life.org/forums/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005163#000018 )

Get one of those aluminum pilot/camera cases. Make a safe and snug nest for Pleo (and accessories) from foam (there's 'tear-out-bits' tupe foam, or just regular foam you cut) in the bag. Sturdy and safe, and easy to open and show if asked to. Especially if the bag is high, you put Pleo's 'layer' on the top (store other things underneath under a sheet of cardboard/foamcore etc)

Of course at the moment I have no idea what size Pleo will be in "transoprt/rest" position. But hopefully a regular pilot case sized bag will fit him and accessories, and extras nicely. I'd imagine making vaious slots/compartments to hold other things you want to put in the bag. Who makes the most innovative interior into one of those bags?! ;)

Do a Google search for aluminum cases, and you will see that you can have shipping cases made to any size, with custom designed foam interiors -- at a cost. Some of the heavy duty shipping cases could definitely withstand the abuse given check in luggage (they can be dropped from a five foot height without sustaining damage to radio/electronic equipment). They even come with padlocks for extra security. If someone was regularly traveling with a couple Pleos, it might be worth the high cost of the container to insure their little buddies safety.

They also make travel containers for musicians, in just about any size and configuration you could ever desire. These are made for travel abuse, also. They are out of several kinds of materials, including wood or plastic or aluminum and can be custom designed. Again, at a cost.

Flight cases more routinely come in leather. But they come in wider and narrower widths, so be sure to check the width before buying.

I would suggest you wait until Pleo arrives, and then you will have a much better idea of the size you will need. Inches count, when you consider Pleo plus foam padding. Especially if you will be having a custom case made. No sense paying for more than you need.

[pleoguy101]

speaking of musicians could you bubble rap pleo and put him in a guitar case, no I'm not some person who tries to sneak behind the airport security peoples backs, but do they check the guitar cases, I think the do but.. i'm not saying pleos a deadly weapon but security might think so..

[pleoguy101]

so, really, what should we do if we want to bring pleo on vacation?? we could show the airport security are golden first hatch pleo license:)

[mweed]

They had an article in the new this week about airport security starting to crack down on people carrying on remote control toys over the holidays, and advising people to put their toys as check0in luggage rather than carry-on. But with not being able to lock your luggage, I sure wouldn't want to check my Pleo! So as it's been said before in this post, if you're gonna fly with Pleo, be prepared to spend some time and make sure the battery is fully charged!

[ActivityGrrrl]

In the meantime, to be safe, please pack Pleo in check in luggage, with him turned off, and take no risks with your little friend.

I'm a frequent flyer, and while I don't carry large remote-control/electronic toys, I do travel with laptops, digital cameras, and other electronics (about six devices), and I have a couple of tips I can offer.

If you're going to carry Pleo (or anything like him) with you, keep his battery charged and installed until after you get through security. You'll likely need to turn him on, as someone mentioned before. After that, you may want to remove the battery while in transit.

If you're going to check him, remove the battery and stow it in the same luggage (don't just carry the battery alone). Batteries are always a fire/damage hazard; you wouldn't want something to happen while it's confined in a bag and under-pressurized in transit. At the very least, you wouldn't want Pleo accidentally turned on and run down or making noise.

But with not being able to lock your luggage, I sure wouldn't want to check my Pleo!

Regarding not being able to lock luggage - I have never not secured my baggage. At the very least, you should use zip ties (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100384036). (If security must cut one off, they will put a notice in your bag to indicate that it was done by them, and re-secure it.)

Now there are special TSA-approved locks (http://www.buy.com/prod/ebags-tsa-accepted-4-dial-combo-lock-2pk/q/loc/16234/201030247.html) available in many sizes, styles, and colors, that they can open with a special key and then re-lock it. I use a combination of both - locks and zip ties. This way I have the added security of a lock, and when I get my bag off the carousel, I can see at a glance whether my zip ties have been replaced (I use a particular kind and size in an odd color, and I always mark them with a Sharpie). [If I ever do see that my zip ties have been replaced but don't find a note inside, I would take my bag immediately to security. With the lock-only, it'd be harder to tell if it had been opened by unauthorized personnel.]

All in all though, I don't recommend traveling with Pleo like this. A car trip is one thing, but if you're traveling by air, you're probably on vacation or visiting family you don't see often. You won't have time to play with your Pleo and ought to be doing other things anyway. ;) Let him hibernate or leave him in the care of a competent sitter. If you're giving one as a gift, have it shipped directly to your recipient and deal with it when you get there. At the very least, ship it yourself. Same if you receive one as a gift - ship your gifts home and skip the hassle and pain of schlepping extra (and precious) stuff through airports.

[amjoie]

I'm a frequent flyer, and while I don't carry large remote-control/electronic toys, I do travel with laptops, digital cameras, and other electronics (about six devices), and I have a couple of tips I can offer.

If you're going to carry Pleo (or anything like him) with you, keep his battery charged and installed until after you get through security. You'll likely need to turn him on, as someone mentioned before. After that, you may want to remove the battery while in transit.

If you're going to check him, remove the battery and stow it in the same luggage (don't just carry the battery alone). Batteries are always a fire/damage hazard; you wouldn't want something to happen while it's confined in a bag and under-pressurized in transit. At the very least, you wouldn't want Pleo accidentally turned on and run down or making noise.



Regarding not being able to lock luggage - I have never not secured my baggage. At the very least, you should use zip ties (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100384036). (If security must cut one off, they will put a notice in your bag to indicate that it was done by them, and re-secure it.)

Now there are special TSA-approved locks (http://www.buy.com/prod/ebags-tsa-accepted-4-dial-combo-lock-2pk/q/loc/16234/201030247.html) available in many sizes, styles, and colors, that they can open with a special key and then re-lock it. I use a combination of both - locks and zip ties. This way I have the added security of a lock, and when I get my bag off the carousel, I can see at a glance whether my zip ties have been replaced (I use a particular kind and size in an odd color, and I always mark them with a Sharpie). [If I ever do see that my zip ties have been replaced but don't find a note inside, I would take my bag immediately to security. With the lock-only, it'd be harder to tell if it had been opened by unauthorized personnel.]

All in all though, I don't recommend traveling with Pleo like this. A car trip is one thing, but if you're traveling by air, you're probably on vacation or visiting family you don't see often. You won't have time to play with your Pleo and ought to be doing other things anyway. ;) Let him hibernate or leave him in the care of a competent sitter. If you're giving one as a gift, have it shipped directly to your recipient and deal with it when you get there. At the very least, ship it yourself. Same if you receive one as a gift - ship your gifts home and skip the hassle and pain of schlepping extra (and precious) stuff through airports.

Excellent reply -- great ideas! :D

[Toby4pleo4eva]

I think the idea of a pleo sitter is amazing!;):D I will check plane securities on the web and if im allowed to take him i will, if im not then i'll find a good pleo sitter (informed friend):D

[Toby4pleo4eva]

Thanks amjoie:D your ideas and methods are great! I will definetly learn from your expertise and use them. I think it is a good idea not to take pleo on a plane

[Starfire]

Has anyone taken Pleo as a carry on yet? I've taken mine in a checked bag several times. I put bubble wrap around him and made sure something was between his legs so they wouldn't get broken if my bag was smashed with something heavy on top. I also had him with clothes on top and below him for protection. So far so good. But it does make me nervous. I'd like to hear anyones experiences with him as a carry on.

[fancyfont]

I haven't traveled in many years, but if I did Peeky would be right in my arms. Would be fun to be on a plane with him. :)

[shiza786]

I hope I can take PLEONEY along!<a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253F partner%253DZSzeb008%255FZC%2526i%253D4%252F4%255F 12%255F11%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_12_11.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252F nocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egi f%253Fi%253D4%252F4_12_11/image.gif"></a>.

[bumblebee]

We go on vacation once a year and i was thinking "Is It okay to take pleos on a plane or will the X-ray thing reject them?" Anyone have an answer to this???

[Allosaurus]

I was wondering that exact same thing.

[pleoWhisperer]

People travel with pleos all the time. I know starfire takes sephy all the time, both as check-in luggage and carry-on.

[bumblebee]

Oh! Okay. That sounds good. I'll have to tell pleoguy101 about that. He went to SC for a while without Rocky. Thanx!:-D

[mweed]

He should know all about that! Starfire has posted most of her comments in the forums and has gone into detail about packing Sephy for check-in luggage, as well as her experiences with taking Sephy as carry-on.

[Starfire]

Sephy loves traveling with me. But she does like carry on more.:-D Of course it did happen that we were upgraded to first class the time she went as carry on. I just made sure and had the battery fully charged just in case they wanted to play with her to check her out. All they did was swab her and check for chemical residue. I didn't even have to turn her on. But I sure would have liked to have gotten a picture of her sitting in the little tub going into the xray machine,

Off topic. This is the first time I've seen these new icons. They rock!!8-)

[bumblebee]

Yup they do :)

[junkroxy]

i'll fly on the 11th august but i paid only for a hand-baggage, could you tell me if can i take pleo as well in a carry-on bag?

[bumblebee]

you probably can. ;)

[Allosaurus]

Good! Good people here, eh?

[bumblebee]

guess so :)

[Allosaurus]

So I can take my Pleo with me on vacation! Yahoo!

[CritterFan]

I keep looking at carry-on-sized, collapsible small pet carriers on ebay. I keep thinking that since Irwin won't take up anywhere near the entire bag, he'd fare just fine if I used the rest of the carrier to store stuff that I'd normally put in a carry-on bag anyway, like my prescriptions, camera, and other small items that I don't want to put in checked luggage.

I haven't bought anything yet, though. But I keep thinking about it. :)

[Starfire]

i'll fly on the 11th august but i paid only for a hand-baggage, could you tell me if can i take pleo as well in a carry-on bag?

You can take Pleo as a carry on. But have him where you can take him out to go through screening. consider him a computer and have the battery charged and put him in his own little bin to go through the xray machine,

[bumblebee]

Will do. :) thanx all you pleople

[JurassicPlayground007]

Im really scared he might be confiscated when I get home from vacation. I leave in just six days and what if he becomes damaged in the carry on scanner? Could someone give me a straight answer jam packed with information so then I dont have to read every page for this topic on the forum?

[1mpleo]

He Would Probaly Be Able To Go Through As Hand Luggage

[Starfire]

Im really scared he might be confiscated when I get home from vacation. I leave in just six days and what if he becomes damaged in the carry on scanner? Could someone give me a straight answer jam packed with information so then I dont have to read every page for this topic on the forum?

OK Jurassic - here goes. You can take your pleo with your. I've taken mine as a carry on and in my checked luggage. When in checked luggage i made sure the head and tail were straight and wrapped clothes around her to protect her. I also made sure socks or something was between her little feet to protect them from getting smashed. i had soft clothes on top and under her since you never know how the bag is going to be sat. I also did NOT have the battery in her. It was in the bag just not in Pleo. For carry on i actually asked TSA about it before I tried it. I was also nervous that they would take her. I made sure the battery was fully charged just in case I needed to turn her on. I treated her as if she was a computer. Took her out put her in her own bin to go through the xray machine. When they were examining her through the xray I told them it was a robot and offered to turn it on for them. They just did a swab to check for chemincal residue and that was it. Easy as cake.

Hope this helps.

[bumblebee]

great! now i no i can take my pleos with me on an airplane! YAY!!

[junkroxy]

Thanks everyone, but i think it's secure to leave Glen at home;-) (like my lovely hamster!)

[1mpleo]

Lol. My Pleos Not Going Anywere

[Allosaurus]

I got a Pleo! Yay!

[mweed]

Congrats! Can't wait to hear about all your experiences! And don't forget to post lots of pictures. ;)

[Allosaurus]

Oh, I'll post plenty of pictures, don't worry about that!