Why Separate The Laptop From The Bag
 

Can anyone tell me the reason why we have to take the laptop out of the bag before it goes through the Xray machine? What can they see with it out of the bag that they can't see with it in the bag?

During the Gulf War when security was tightened, I understood. The actually made you turn it on to see that it was a working device and not something that looked like a laptop and was filled with C4 or something. They don't have you turn them on now.

When I asked a security agent why we do this, his answer....because we were told to. They don't know either.

Monty,

I too have the same question. I just came through the US on an RTW (1st time in the US post 911) and was asked at every US airport to remove my laptop from my bag for x-ray. This has not happened anywhere else in my travels in Europe and Asia. I could speculate though that a laptop could shield or confuse imaging of other devices in the same bag.

I've had to take mine out of the bag AND turn it on for the curious screeners. Taking it out of the bag (I've been told) minimizes the chance that you'll have knives, etc. under the laptop which would help shield the offending items on the x-ray. I just wish the screeners would stop yelling at me to take it out of the bag the way the customs goons yell at me how to stand in line at the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing. Look, I'm an American citizen -- Stop yelling at me.

You see, that's it. They're jealous of you. Most of the screeners are not, and they will lose their jobs if they don't become one when the feds take over.

My personal theory is that is slows down the line so they don't have to work as hard http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

One of these days I'd like to walk thru wearing only a jockstrap and see if I get picked for a random wand search.

I am in sales and often carry various sorts of non-computer related electronics on the plane. Same old story, I take it out of the bag, put it in the machine, the belt stops, someone says "bag check", it comes out, they take it to another table, call over a supervisor and all stare at it like cavemen who just discovered fire.

Then they ask me "what is it", I tell them, they don't understand, they say "turn it on", I do, they say "OK."

Supposedly you can easily hide things in the bag with a laptop. One story I heard (elsewhere here on FT) was that they demonstrated hiding a .45 caliber pistol (not a small gun) in the laptop bag and there was no way to spot the pistol in the x-ray machine with the laptop in the same bag because it obscured the picture so much.

it makes them easier for them to break or steal.

i believe the laptop obstucts the view. so removing it clears the view.

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f

Does no one watch Twenty-Four??? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

not that TV accurately depicts real-life...

I would guess it relates to what they can see and not see. Now they have better view of the wires, cords, adapters, power bricks, palm pilots, cell phones, pens, etc. How the heck do they have any idea what they are looking at?

But somehow, they do seem to find those nail clippers, at least 30% of the time based on my experience.

One problem I have with this is when they decide to back the belt up to get a better wiew, they might cause a heavier item on the belt to fall back onto your fragile exposed
laptop. I just missed this happening to me by whisker, everybody at the station was busy looking at something on the screen as they ran the belt back and forth a few times and my notebook got wedged under a huge rollaboard one more back up and I am sure I would have it now hanging in a picture frame.
Mike



[This message has been edited by MIKESILV (edited 01-23-2002).]

Let me ask a question on this topic. I just got my new laptop and will take it on a few upcoming trips. When you run it through x-ray are you just putting it on the belt or in the plastic trays? The reason for the question is I have seen too many come rolling down the rollers, damaging the bottom and banging into luggage.

at EWR I was asked to do the same last week , but did not have to do so Sept. 23

so this took Me by surprise I took it out of my Lowepro Stealth back pack leaving it in the seperate cushioned enclosure to go thru the xray ..and he said no take it out ...I said You mean NAKED...after his brief smile He said yes naked....My naked Thinkpad on the roolers...errr

Its actually very easy to hide a weapon in a laptop even if you have to turn it on. You can just slip out the removable drive, and fill it with a gun or knife or bomb, then but a plastic cover over the removable drive to make it look normal. You can then switch it on and it will appear to be a normal computer. It really amazes me how easy it is to bypass any sort of security that they come up with. Even a young child can figure ways through the system.

Now, in most locations in the US, they provide a plastic tray for your laptop, although not all pax utilize them, which is why you will occasionally see laptops riding the rollers.

I believe the answer lies in that some types of batteries, especially if you have two bays full of them, would block the view of any item of similar composition below it. Meaning, if your laptop is lying flat on your bag, which is also flat, and a nice slim long knife is taped to the bottom of the laptop, they can't see it. Whereas, if you put it in the tub, well, they can see it. Just my $.02.

i use a caselogic slip cover. it offers some padding. most of the time i dont have to take it out of the cover. i just place it in the basket (sometimes they are not available, so just on the rollers) and send it thru. every once in a while they make me take it out.

at mco a couple of weeks ago, they were searching everyone and my laptop got caught in a log jam at the end of the chute. as one bag after another piled up, all the laptops started skewing off the chute. none fell, but they were all hanging over.

i really think these security people have no idea of the cost or value of these items.

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f

Thanks all for the replies. The knife comments make sense. I'm glad most of us still can keep our sense of humor regarding the new security process (i.e. wearing just a jock strap http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif )

As far as the plastic baskets, I have seen bigger ones showing up sporadically now. At ATL they actually suggested the use of the basket for the laptop.....maybe they DO realize the value. The larger baskets I've seen have holes in them (I guess to make them lighter). Now you have no place to put pocket change....it slips throgh the holes. Oh well.

I don't travel with a laptop, but the discussion about taking things out of bags reminds me of taking a cat in a carry-on bag a couple of years ago.

Initially, the screeners wanted me to put the bag through the x-ray machine. They did seem somewhat surprised when I told them you can't send live animals through the x-ray machine, and I did insist on a hand search. (Although most likely, the x-ray would not have harmed the cat, and I probably would have consented on one condition--that I get to watch the display, as I'm sure it would have looked very cool.)

Next, they asked me to take the cat out and run the bag through by itself. I didn't think this was a very good idea, since there is a reason why the phrase "let the cat out of the bag" is synonymous with chaos.

Finally, there was a line growing behind me, and they did consent to do a hand search without letting the cat out of the bag.

I was wondering about the same thing as well... and it's really annoying...
and they dropped my laptop one time as well...i wonder if they are responsible for the laptop if it was broken...



[This message has been edited by afang (edited 01-24-2002).]

i believe they are covered by the same rules as baggage handlers and follow the '2 drop rule'. they are required to drop your bags at least 2 times while handling them.



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f

Oh, I am sure that they do. Basically, IMHO, these security people could care less that your computer is damaged. They have the power to tell us what to do. As the Borg are fond of saying, resistance is futile.



[This message has been edited by onedog (edited 01-24-2002).]

The bottom of my Dell has huge scratches from pre-plastic tray days at security checkpoints at MSP and DFW....

People used to say my Sony Picturebook was too small. Now that I can pass security without them thinking I have a laptop, many colleagues are thinking of getting one too.

My laptop stays in my bag with my clothes and security never seems to notice.

That whole belt-reversal thing can be very annoying. I can understand that the security person may need to back up somewhat to get a better look at a bag. But sometimes they reverse more than one bag's distance. After looking at bag A and then bag B, why would one need to look at bag A again?

The over-reversal tends to screw up everything else on the incoming belt. A few weeks ago, the belt reversal pushed a bag out into a change/watch/cellphone tray, knocking it on the ground. The owner of the change/watch/cellphone had already walked through. Being the good samaritan I am, I gathered the scattering change etc. and sent it back through for him. But they shouldn't rely on friendly passengers to bail out poorly designed/operated security checks.