Going Through Airport Security

They may want to see the laptop as that's the rules. Why not remove it from the box and just bring the laptop home (discard the box)

If you want you can buy a sleeve or backpack That's tsa compliant that way you don't need to take it out. They sale them every where they sell computers, staples or the apple store

They don't need to see the box or any accessories, they just wanna see the bare laptop.

Laptop out in its own bin. No exceptions. Some days they have let me leave it in my sleeve some days they make me remove it. But always the laptop is out if my bag and it's own bin. So no way will they let you leave it in the box.

marc11 said:

Laptop out in its own bin. No exceptions. Some days they have let me leave it in my sleeve some days they make me remove it. But always the laptop is out if my bag and it's own bin. So no way will they let you leave it in the box.

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i think OP was asking if he could keep the box inside his bag instead of taking it out and leaving it out with his laptop.

I bought a Tumi TSA approved bag that the Air or any laptop stays inside of. You just unzip the bag and fold it open and send it through. I travel 2-3 days a week via air travel.

I have forgotten to take it out of my carry-on backpack a couple times - they never said anything

robvas said:

I have forgotten to take it out of my carry-on backpack a couple times - they never said anything

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It depends on the TSA apt/station - I have had both happen, there is no absolute...

Yes, you can keep the laptop box and it's accessories in your luggage (carry-on or checked), as long as you have just the laptop itself to put in a bin through the XRay.

You can purchase an inexpensive sleeve or thin case, no need to remove the Air from it. Just put it in the tray as is and you are good to go.

House Crasher said:

I bought a Tumi TSA approved bag that the Air or any laptop stays inside of. You just unzip the bag and fold it open and send it through. I travel 2-3 days a week via air travel.

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I have an ogio messenger bag that does this too. Taking it out and putting it in its own bin isn't a huge hassle though.

Huh?

Take the damn laptop out of your bag. Just the laptop, no cables.

If I see one more idiot (not saying the OP did this) whining about the two seconds it takes to remove their laptop from their bag while 50+ people wait impatiently in line behind them, I can't guarantee I won't a) punch you in the back of the head and/or b) yell and point at you while in line.

Rant over, thank you very much.

But seriously, no need to take the entire box out.

PS...I don't agree with the TSA's rules, but not following them while at an airport security checkpoint just pisses everyone off.

Knowing what I know, I know that when I fly I will ALWAYS take the laptop out. Why? Not that a laptop is hard to identify on screen, but add to that the clutter of all the other wires, accessories, adapters, keys, coins, other metals, and organics that are a part of the bag and it can easily become a jungle of a mess that's difficult for the operate to efficiently and effectively analyze the contents.

If things become too cluttered, guess what happens? Your entire bag gets searched. The 10 seconds you saved by not taking out and putting your laptop bag in in the first place, is compounded many times over by the duration of your bag being searched, or at the very least your time saved is lost by the extra time it takes for the officer to analyze the image. If your laptop bag is your mobile office with all the clutter in there, I'd recommend saving yourself the hassle in the long run and leave the laptop out in the bin.

What is gained is the perception of convenience, perhaps to some it really is a convenience, but it comes at a cost that I don't deem is justified. There's increased risk to the flying public, at what percentage I don't know, but it's not an insignificant increase. The powers that be are trending towards one direction, when the focus should be on the other end imo.

glen e said:

It depends on the TSA apt/station - I have had both happen, there is no absolute...

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You are absolutely correct

I have kept my belt on and wallet in back pocket and sometimes they say nothing, sometimes I get sent through again. TSA is very inconsistent in their search regimen.

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26139 said:

Take the damn laptop out of your bag. Just the laptop, no cables.

If I see one more idiot (not saying the OP did this) whining about the two seconds it takes to remove their laptop from their bag while 50+ people wait impatiently in line behind them, I can't guarantee I won't a) punch you in the back of the head and/or b) yell and point at you while in line.

Rant over, thank you very much.

But seriously, no need to take the entire box out.

PS...I don't agree with the TSA's rules, but not following them while at an airport security checkpoint just pisses everyone off.

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I think your rant was aimed at me and thats not a problem, I've ranted before. However...I am following the rules of the TSA by having one of their "approved" TSA laptop bags. It is MUCH faster to unzip my bag and send it through rather than unzip it, take it out and grab a bin, send the bin through and then send my bag through also, then meet up with it on the other side, put it back in the bag and move the tray. I just unzip my bag send it through and grab it and go. Trust me I have it down like science and the TSA loves me for not ******** up the line.

This is interesting and we had a rant on here a few months ago where someone was saying that they can keep it in their backpack and then they pull out the TSA regulations and wave it in the guys face if he doesn't like the way that the guy did it.

What a jerk... I see someone waving something like that and holding me up just so you can prove his point, I'll whack him myself!

Fwiw

http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm

I have one of those "CheckPoint Friendly" bags, and still occasionally have to remove the laptop from it. As others have said, it is up to the agent on duty and very much depends on their disposition that day.

Showing them their own regulations will probably not matter ... they simply don't care ... you will do it their way or you will not be boarding your flight.

Your choice.

hfg said:

I have one of those "CheckPoint Friendly" bags, and still occasionally have to remove the laptop from it. As others have said, it is up to the agent on duty and very much depends on their disposition that day.

Showing them their own regulations will probably not matter ... they simply don't care ... you will do it their way or you will not be boarding your flight.

Your choice.

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I fly 3-4 days every week. Never removed my Macs yet. I must look like a trusting soul or flying into and out of non risk cities....

ALl I know is I wear no belt, slip on shoes, TSA approved laptop case and soon to be a TSA PreCheck flier. I get through everyday with zero issues and hold up nobody.

I fly out of DFW quite a bit and you are not going through the line unless your laptop is out where they can see it, alone in it's own bin.

Every time we travel we have 3 MacBooks and 2 iPads and guess what, we have to use 3 bins for the laptops and 1 bin for the iPads just because they are small enough to lay side-by-side in 1 bin.

It sucks collecting everything at the end but it is what it is, the people behind you don't care about why you (you being generalized) want to argue and there's no reason to make them wait any longer than they should.

Just have your stuff out and ready to put in a bin....shoes, belt, wallet, phone, etc small things in 1 bin, backpack/carry bag in 1 bin, laptop in 1 bin put it on the conveyor and walk through the scanner.

Collect your stuff on the other side and have a seat and reorganize your things, the worst part is over. It is what you make of it.


Most airports have someone checking tickets prior to the scanner so if you are a few minutes early you may ask them what you need to take out and be prepared when you go through the line.

You can keep a laptop in a separate bag or box ONLY if there are no cables or other items in it. So, yes you will have to take it out of the box. If you check the bag then you will not.