TSA declares some laptop bags 'checkpoint-friendly'
Fliers are asked to dump out their beverages, take off their shoes, and go through a number of other time-eating security procedures at the airport--but at least some travelers may not have to unpack their laptops, the Transportation Security Administration announced Friday.
Starting August 16, travelers will not have to remove laptops from bags that are deemed "checkpoint-friendly." This category includes "butterfly style," "sleeve style," and "trifold style" bags. These styles were chosen after the TSA asked bag manufacturers to design bags that would not obstruct the image of a laptop when put through an X-ray machine. A number of bag makers, including Targus and Mobile Edge, have complied.
The new guidelines are meant to "help streamline the security process and better protect laptops," the TSA said in a press release. It noted, however, that using one of the "checkpoint-friendly" bags will not guarantee that a flier will not have to unpack his laptop. "Given TSA's use of random screening protocols, TSA reserves the right to rescreen any bag or laptop," the TSA said. And, while some bags on the market may not obstruct the scan of a laptop, "most current laptop bags will not present a clear X-ray image and should not be sent through the X-ray with the laptop inside."
Even travelers with "checkpoint-friendly" bags should place them on X-ray machines "completely unfolded...so that there is nothing above or below the laptop-only section," the TSA recommended.
Stephanie Condon is a staff writer for CNET News focused on the intersection of technology and politics. She is based in Washington, D.C. E-mail Stephanie. 
Already it's easier and cheaper to drive from Portland to San Francisco as it is to: drive to PDX, wait through the check-in line, wait through security, wait for boarding, wait for the slot on the runway, wait in the landing/holding pattern, then wait for everyone to get off the plane, wait for baggage, wait for the rental car, etc etc. It takes me about 9-10 hours to drive to SanFran, and it takes roughly 8 hours (altogether) to do the airport rigmarole + flight time.
As a plus, I can eat whatever I want during the drive, don't have to put up with screaming babies, legroom is spacious, and the only idiots you have to deal with are in other cars, quickly forgotten as the miles roll by.
Now, the TSA wants to screw with that:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-08-10-charter-planes_N.htm
I don't know what the big deal is. I flew twice a week, every week from April through July including several transoceanic flights, with professional photography gear which includes my laptop, tripod, big lenses, backup hard drives, etc.
Dealing with the TSA has never been a problem. Sometimes they want to swipe inside of my gear bag for the chemical sniffer, but that takes like two whole minutes.
You guys want to talk about airport hassle? Try traveling to Caracas, Venezuela where the airport police force you into illegal taxis controlled by the local mafia, nice corruption action there under Chavez. Each time I never know if I'm going to come out of the taxi without getting mugged or worse.
Or how about the military guards at Shanghai Airport in China who feed their egos by harassing foreigners.
Or the border authorities in Indonesia who purposely give you wrong information so they can fine you later (hoping you'll settle with them with a bribe instead.)
Or try traveling out from any small Canadian city, where they'd literally have 20 guards manning that one measly metal detector they have in the airport, for that one daily outbound flight (thank you socialist government job programs.) Each one of them think they have to "earn that money for the day" by inspecting and re-inspecting every square inch of your bags. What they do for the other seven hours and fifty minutes of their job day is anyone's guess.
Frankly, I've found dealing with the TSA is a pleasure compared to the rest of the world.
TSA and its mindless drones only exist to give the appearance of security. It is also a nice petri dish to experiment with privacy violations to see just how far the government can push things without ramping up the fear button some more.
Frankly, if someone with BOX CUTTERS can take over a plane (I never bought that ********, someone on the plane WOULD HAVE FOUGHT BACK).... nothing is going to keep you safe, as you said, EXCEPT..... an armed federal agent on the plane! That is the absolute freaking ONLY thing that is going to keep you safe.
Unless you think that a gunfight at high altitude in a pressurized container is a good idea. It certainly has an effect of stopping some problems but is not a cure all.
Unless you think that a gunfight at high altitude in a pressurized container is a good idea. It certainly has an effect of stopping some problems but is not a cure all. A single armed agent couldn't even come close to stopping, say 10 people rushing him. Then the terrorists have the plane with the loss of a few of their own(but this is likely a suicide mission) and now they have a gun. In other words, game over.
Add to that, there are special bullets that are lethal to human but when they hit something more substantial than flesh, vaporize or close to it..... and it becomes an absolute non-issue.
The fact is that terrorist attacks happen VERY infrequently. In fact, the 9/11 things and the first WTC bombing are the ONLY terrorists attacks in the past 100 years by foreign terrorists that were successful. Big deal: 2 terrorist attacks, killing only 1/10 to 1/20th of the number of people who are killed every year in car accidents in this country.... not a real big risk, in all honesty.
I'd be more worried about getting killed by a car walking down the street in the rural area where I live than I would worry about being killed in a terrorist attack.... and to be totally honest, if someone tried to take over the plane that I was on...... I would fight back and, if necessary, KILL the guy in question or girl who was trying to do that.
The passengers who may be exempted from opening the bag for inspection,
or
the TSA that inspected passenger's belongings?
Looks like they are trying to get sponsorship or something:
"Today's inspection is brought to you by Blah Blah Bag Ltd".
- by rebert3 August 16, 2008 8:03 PM PDT
- I think what a lot of people forget is that the majority of those manning the X ray machines at the airports have really no clue what's in a computer. Take for example the new Apple Laptop the MacBook Air; when it came out people were being hassled, because they couldn't tell the difference between a regular hard drive and the solid state one.
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- by Lerianis August 18, 2008 12:55 PM PDT
- That last part is true, rebert3. However, Congress has also gotten on the Border Patrol and Customs case and told them that if they hear of them doing that crap..... they will pass a law saying that they are FORBIDDEN from ever doing it without prior cause, so the Border Patrol and Customs have pretty much backed off their position that it was okay.
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(24 Comments)No matter which bag you buy; your better off just taking the laptop out of bag and get it over with. Besides if you get to the airport in time for your flight it won't take that long.
Also I heard that all boarder inspectors can confiscate laptops and storage devices, search them without giving a reason.