Hello,
My team was wondering if we would be able to carry the robot on the plane or gate check it instead of shipping or checking it.
A Few Questions:
Has anyone used their robot as a carry-on?
Did you run into trouble with Security?
How did you package it if you carried on vs checked it vs shipped it?
Thanks,
Mason,
Inspector Gadget 979A
Many people take the robot on the plane as checked luggage, but I haven’t heard of anyone taking it as carry on. Most likely, the weight and size of the robot will rule out the ability to take it as carry on for most airlines, unless you book a seat for it! I could also imagine that you might run into trouble with security for carrying it on.
To transport it as checked luggage, some teams pack it up in heavy duty and/or doubled up cardboard boxes, or buy/build a crate. Airlines will let you use crates or boxes, but couriers will charge extra for non cardboard boxed shipments. There are lots of threads with tips on packing your robot (I’ll find some later), but the main tip is to make sure everything is well padded and nothing can move or be squished. You might want to disassemble a few things, as it is easier to put it back together instead of fix something broken.
Last year we booked a seat and carried the robot onto the plane. The air crew even announced the presence of our robot by name which drew a round of “Good Lucks”. The cost of the seat for us was the least expensive method of shipping, as I was able to get group rates for the team and robot. We did check with the local TSA prior to the day of the flight, told them what we wanted to do, etc. and we had no problems at all on the way there or back. It actually ended up being a very good way for us to do it and had not problems with lost or damaged robots because we were the ones taking care of it.
My team is currently at Nationals, which involved two flights to get there. We were originally planning on shipping the robot but found out it would be around $400from massachusetts to Nebraska. We ended up checking the robot, which ended up working well. Remember most airlines charge extra ($200 vs. $25) for oversizedpackages, and then another $100 for it being over a certain weight. We ended up having to put our robot in one container and our tools and whatnot in a suitcase. Because neither package was over the limit of 50 pounds (the robot was 46) the airline was either really nice and turned a blind eye or they didnt notice that it was ovesized and they didnt charge us the extra $175, so be prepared for extra charges. All this being said, our robot did arrive damage free but it (and our tool suitcase) had been cut open (and resecured) and inspected by homeland security. Thats all my advice and good luck!
We brought our robot as checked luggage the past 2 years to Anaheim. We build a plywood box and made sure that it would not get classified as oversized or overweight. Because of this it was only $40 to check the robot in as luggage. Our box took a beating…the airlines are terrible at handling things nicely, but we packed the robot very carefully and it made it unscathed.
Some notes:
1.) Don’t put any batteries in the robot box…technically they can be there, but it draws less suspicion if there not there.
2.) Take the wheels off…axles will bend…
3.) Padding padding padding. With consideration that the TSA will probably want to look into the box…so make it able to be easily removed and reassembled.
4.) Don’t lock the box! The TSA will then have to look in it and if you are not present with a key they will just snip your lock.
5.) Label the heck out of the crate. We put pictures of the team along with the robot and contact information all over the place. Also, some disclaimers such as; NO LITHIUM BATTERIES!
6.)If you have a connecting flight you do risk the chance of the robot getting put on a wrong plane. Statistically unlikely…but it happens.
I’m so afraid of #6 and the fact that there are no direct LA → Louisville Flights scare me so much.
Luggage getting lost in connections is definitely something that can happen, especially if your flights have very little time in between. That’s why it’s good to go a day earlier, just in case it gets left behind and has to go on a flight the next day. In my experience Chicago seems to eat luggage, I don’t think we’ve ever flown through there without losing luggage.
In terms of securing the cases, you can use locks as long as they are the TSA approved type (security has a universal key for them). The easiest option is to just zip tie the latches closed so they don’t open accidentally. Tape some more zip ties and a note to the inside of the lid so they can close it afterwards.
Here are some threads you can also look at:
https://vexforum.com/t/how-do-people-send-their-robots-to-worlds/18682/1
https://vexforum.com/t/nationals-advice/28760/1
https://vexforum.com/t/nationals-advice/28760/1
Never ever have I lost any thing when I fly in and out of Chicago… Then again I don’t use connections. 
Many years ago (Back when I was first starting out on 5900), our two sister teams that went to Worlds lost their robots on the plane ride over, and didn’t get them back until later, completely demolishing their prep time.
This year, we have the good fortune of being able to transport all of our program’s robots by trailer. This makes me feel so much better about our robot staying in one piece, and with us at all times, as we approach Worlds.