If you decide to put it in your check luggage, David has a
good suggestion how to protect your e-book reader from a potential total fallout: the
Otterbox.
Otterboxes are crushproof and waterproof up to 100 feet deep (which is hopefully not so important on an airplane). I am not sure which one would be the right fit for the iLiad, but the
2000 model seems alright.