Quick (hopefully easy) question regarding international travel. I’m traveling from the US to Scotland, London, Lisbon over the next two weeks. I’m only traveling with a backpack so I don’t have to check any luggage. I have a 12.9" iPad Pro and an iPad Air and trying to decide which to travel with.
I know in the past there have been travel restrictions for the iPad Pro (laptop size) going through security - having to pull it out, and in some instances having it confiscated. Does anyone know - Is this still the case? Should I play it safe and just travel with my Air or is traveling with my iPad Pro in my carry on backpack fine?
Thanks for your help!
You won’t have any problems now, there was a brief period where devices “larger than a cell phone” had to be checked when flying from certain countries to the US or the UK, but that time has passed in nearly all cases.
You’ll have to pull your iPad out at security whichever one you travel with - so take the one you prefer and makes the most sense. The Air has the advantage of being able to be charged faster from battery packs - but the 12.9" is of course the perfect on plane entertainment device (at least when you don’t have food).
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Makes sense. Whew - I do love my 12.9". 
Thanks Rose!
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I’ve had great luck on my recent flights to the US (Chicago and Los Angeles), where I have had a free seat next to me on the way there both times - which means a tray table for my iPad to be on while I’m eating! If you’re on a longer flight and/or want to play Civilization VI on the way then I would recommend one of those behemoth Anker battery packs (not the car battery sized one though, explaining that to TSA would be anything but fun). I have one with a USB C port on it and that’s my chosen one for journeys with long flights - it keeps me going, and isn’t that heavy to lug around either.
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Good point about a charger! I only have a small one that won’t give enough juice. I’ll check out the Anker. Thanks!
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I don’t think you’ll have any trouble travelling with either a 12.9" iPad Pro or an iPad Air.
In the past I’ve been able to leave my iPad in my bag when going through security. Though, it’s good to keep a close eye on the security rules at specific airports as some airports have changed their policies (e.g. I came across this article about changes to TSA policies in the USA).
Case in point, I left my iPad 10.5" in my bag when going through security at BCN (Barcelona) and was asked to go through security again with my iPad removed from my backpack. I was never worried about it being confiscated, but it was a bit of a hassle.
If there’s any doubt, I recommend asking if you need to remove your iPad before you put your bag through the x-ray.
Happy travels!
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In the UK they definitely want iPads out of bags! But the folks at Heathrow and Gatwick also say it as you get your tray at security so it’s clear.
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It’s always safest to just take all electronics out of the backpack and lay it in the open. It’s faster, less hassle and just makes your TSA clearance a breeze. I never had any issues when they were all out.
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