The Easy Way Fly With Your Laptop

Simple steps to reducing the hassle factor when traveling with a laptop.

by James Philips, Published 3.9.2007

For anyone that has traveled via airplane in the last few years can attest to the fact that getting through the secuity checkpoint has become quite an ordeal.  From having to remove shoes, jackets, and sometimes belts, to simply dealing with the long lines that one sometimes encounters, it can quite a challenge just to get through this.  For travelers carrying a laptop computer, there is an additional level of potential hassle, but this can at least be minimized by taking a few initial precautions before heading to the airport.

The main hassle factor that I find in taking a laptop through security is the need to remove the laptop from my laptop case, and place it by itself in a plastic tub.  Having to fish the notebook out of my laptop bag, and then put it back in at the other side of the checkpoint, adds another level to the rigmarole required.

However, there are some basic things you can do to ease the burden of getting your laptop through security.  The following tips can make things a bit easier:

• Select a laptop case that makes it easy to get your laptop in and out of the case with ease.  Some laptop cases offer access to your computer from the top of the bag, which makes getting to it, and removing it, and replacing it easy to do. The major benefit of a well-designed laptop bag makes it easy to do this in just a few seconds, and maybe using one-hand.  These types of bags are available in all styles, including leather computer bags, or women’s fashion computer bags.

• Occasionally you may be asked to turn on your computer to prove that it’s a working device.  However, this is not always required, so you don’t need to have your computer on, nor turn it on, unless asked.
  
• Make sure your hands are free, if at all possible, which will make it easier to remove your laptop, as well as your shoes, coat, etc.  If you are carrying a cup of coffee, or a newspaper, it will simply make it more challenging to quickly navigate the checkpoint.
• Given that your computer must be taken out of the bag and placed alone in a bin to be x-rayed, you might want to put some sort of easily-recognized marking on your notebook (a sticker, colored paper taped on, a marking with a permanent marker, etc.) on the top to ensure that you pick up the right computer – and that no one accidentally takes your computer and not their own.
• Always wait to send your notebook through the x-ray machine until the path through the human x-ray machine is ready for you to go through.  It has been reported that some thieves will have an accomplice get in front of you (after you’ve released your notebook) and set off the alarm, which the accomplice grabs your notebook on the other side of the checkpoint.  I have noticed that in many cases the TSA agents seem to keep an eye on computers to make sure they are picked up by their rightful owner, but I’d hardly trust them in all cases, and better safe than sorry.
• Lastly, make sure your contact information is available on the outside of your notebook.  If for some reason you forget it at the x-ray (surprisingly this has been known to happen), security will be able to contact you to retrieve your precious laptop.

Sure, getting through the airport security checkpoint has become more of a challenge every year, by thinking ahead, and having a well-designed laptop case, you can reduce the hassle-factor and make airplane travel at least a bit easier.

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About the Author:
James Philips is a freelance writer who travels regularly with his IBM Thinkpad.