Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bags

If you travel with a laptop, things may have changed for you. The United States TSA (that is the Transportation Security Administration which is separate from the current Totally Stupid Administration) has come out with new ways to speed your laptop through the airport security lines. This will allow you to be tortured and delayed by some other meaningless procedure which makes some people feel more safe. We still don't know why anyone would carry a harmful device onboard when you can put it in checked luggage. Checked luggage, cargo and employees are not screened to any amount at all.

The short story is that you need a back with nothing above or below the laptop. No snaps, zippers, pockets or anything else above or below the laptop inside the bag as it lays on the conveyor belt. Instead of pulling your laptop out of your luggage, you pull a sleeved laptop out of your luggage. Unless you travel without any peripherals at all, this may not save you much since you'll still have another larger bag to hold the smaller bag. So you can just use a simple sleeve-like bag...or maybe a big ziplock back. We already know that security people love those.

For your checkpoint friendly laptop bag, here are some more detailed guidelines:

A laptop-only section

The laptop-only section is separate or completely unfolds to lay flat on the X-ray belt

No metal snaps, zippers, buckles or dangerous weapons inside, or on either side of the laptop-only section

No pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section

Nothing packed in the laptop-only section other than the laptop. This is why it's called the "laptop-only" section.

A TSA page with some additional information and diagrams

The official press release is here