Our Friends in TSA just annouced this....
August 15, 2008
Starting
Aug. 16, TSA will allow laptops to remain in bags meeting new
'checkpoint friendly' guidelines. Not all laptop bags are 'checkpoint
friendly'
(see images below).
Click here to learn more about the industry process and guidelines for laptop bag.
Click here to read the press release on "TSA Ready for 'checkpoint friendly' Laptop Bags".
To help streamline the security process and better protect laptops
TSA has recently encouraged manufacturers to design bags that will
produce a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop when undergoing
X-ray screening. A design that meets this objective will enable TSA to
allow laptops to remain in bags for screening.
Industry enthusiastically met the call and more than 60
manufacturers responded, 40 of them submitting prototypes for testing.
TSA opened three airports for manufacturers to perform live testing of
these prototypes with Transportation Security Officers (TSO) so the
manufacturers can gain feedback on what works and what doesn’t with
various bag designs.
TSA screens laptops to see if the electronics have been tampered
with. TSOs know what the inside of a computer should look like, and can
recognize irregularities. This is why they need an unobstructed view as
the item moves through the X-ray machine.
Purchasing one of these bags will not guarantee that you can leave
your laptop in your bag for screening. If a TSO finds that the bag does
not present a clear and distinct image of the laptop separate from the
rest of the bag, the laptop will have to be screened separately.
There are laptop bag styles currently on the market, such as
laptop-only sleeves, that have the potential to present a clear X-ray
image of the laptop if they are correctly packed. However, 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.
What does this mean for passengers?
If you intend to use a 'checkpoint friendly' laptop bag once they are on the market, make sure to check that:
- Your laptop bag has a designated laptop-only section that can lay flat on the X-ray belt
- There are no metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on-top of the laptop-only section
- There are no pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
- There is nothing in the laptop compartment other than the laptop
- You
have completely unfolded your bag so that there is nothing above or
below the laptop-only section, allowing the bag to lay flat on the
X-ray belt
Remember, a well designed 'checkpoint friendly' bag must be packed
appropriately if you intend to leave your laptop in your bag for
screening.
TSA is not approving or endorsing any bag design or manufacturer and
will only allow laptops to stay in bags through screening if they
provide a clear and unobstructed
X-ray image of the laptop.
Click here to go to the Original Post......
http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm
Original TSA Post
I feel this is a major step in the right direction.
Posted by Michael Corey
www.ntirety.com