If you’re flying out of Britain to the United States, you’ve got an 8 hour in-flight of dreary ennui ahead of you. Your laptops, your PDAs, your cellphones, your shiny PSP must all be left in check-in, to be flung about, searched and rooted through by an armada of anonymous baggage check monkeys.

It’s a bit worrying having such a wealth of valuable, fragile materials out of your care. And now, another worry: insurers have decided that none of these items will be covered by flight insurance, instead saying its the airline’s responsibility.

But it gets worse: under international rules, an airline is liable to pay a maximum of

850 in compensation for lost luggage. But that figure has largely been decided upon based upon the assumption that valuables will be kept in the cabin. Prepare to pay the price of someone else’s incompetence in the name of freedom.

Insurers refuse to coveriPods and phones in airline luggage [Times Online]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.