G5 on an airplane?

[davemchine]

I'm flying out to see my brother soon and he asked if I could bring the G5 tower (mentioned in a previous thread) as a checked bag. I have no idea. Anybody ever done that before? I have the original box. I would be checking my normal bag as well.

[C(-)ris]

Should be fine to check it. Will not fit in carry-on. However, I'd worry that it would walk away in transit.

Edit: They weight more than 50lbs in the box, so you will get hit with a surcharge as well. Probably cheaper to just ship it.

[davemchine]

Looked at ebay it appears most people charge $75 to ship so I'm assuming that's what UPS would hit me with. The normal Alaska airline fee is $25/bag. Overweight is $50 so that would be ok. BUT if it exceeds "62 linear inches (length + width + height" then I get hit with another fee. I don't have the box at my house so that's something else to check. Would still love to hear if anyone has done this before. Thanks Chris.

[haikuman]

I have checked mine with Airlines Maui to Seattle.
Then Bus rides and car rides through Washington and Oregon.
And it just keeps on ticking ask Racer X miley-shocked003:

[Racer X]

(tick, tick, tick)

[Mac-A-Matic]

I don't know about modern equipment, but I used to transport my old and trusty MacSE in a padded bag going around the country in checked baggage with no problems. Now however, I just take my MBP13 with me.

A G5 tower isn't terribly big. I bet you could wrap it in a little bubble wrap and lug it onto the plane with you. Just toss it in the overhead bin - though do check with the airline on the kind of equipment you're flying. Boeing 7 series should be okay, but put you in an ERJ or CRJ and you're hosed.

Heck, with all the big bags I see brought onboard nowadays, it shouldn't be a problem - though do try to do the early boarding thing to snag your baggage space!

[davemchine]

I told my wife my plan and she said, "tomorrow you are having a procedure done for your herniated disc and you think your going to lug a 50# computer into the airport? NO." Hmm, perhaps I didn't think that through all the way. Maybe I can find someone to take me to the airport and carry the computer...

[Uncle Wig]

I'd tell your brother, no, it's not worth carrying that thing around. If it were a Mac Pro, maybe. A G5, forget it.

[DRR]

For reference, I recently shipped a Mac Pro about the same distance, FedEx Ground (Home) was the least expensive option at $38 or so. Plus I elected about $10 extra for insurance. It was in an Apple box and weighed 54 lbs. The UPS and USPS options were more expensive ranging from $50 to $80. The Mac Pro box was something like 27x23x15" so a G5 box which is going to be similar size, is probably right on the edge of the linear limit.

I would just check FedEx, might be a lot easier for you to ship it since it sounds like taking it on the plane is not going to save you any money.

[IronMac]

davemchine wrote:
I told my wife my plan and she said, "tomorrow you are having a procedure done for your herniated disc and you think your going to lug a 50# computer into the airport? NO." Hmm, perhaps I didn't think that through all the way. Maybe I can find someone to take me to the airport and carry the computer...

LOL! Listen to your wife and others on here. Forget about lugging this anywhere near an airport. Just ship it.