My Laptop is NOT A Weapon
![]() | by Drew on August 18th, 2008 |

It is estimated that some 35% of airline passengers carry a laptop on board with them. Anyone who is in that 35% is painfully aware of the hassle it can sometimes be getting through airport security. You have to remove your laptop from its case, place it in the bin, run it through alone, put your laptop bag in another bin and run it through. Then you have to kind of run through the scanner so you can make it to the end of the turnstile before your laptop does so as to keep it secure in your own protective custody.
Starting August 16, however, air travelers who carry laptops through security in a “checkpoint-friendly” laptop bag or case won’t have to remove their laptops. How cool is that? But the question now begs to be asked. What is a “checkpoint-friendly” laptop bag? Well, allow me to recommend one or two for your purchasing pleasure.
According to the TSA forty manufacturers submitted laptop case prototypes to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for testing, and at three airports live tests of these prototypes have been underway. For a bag to be considered checkpoint-friendly, the TSA states that it must meet the following five standards:
- Must have a designated laptop-only section.
- The laptop-only section must completely unfold to lay flat on the X-ray belt.
- There can be no metal snaps, zippers, or buckles inside, underneath, or on top of the laptop-only section.
- No pockets are allowed on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section.
- Nothing can be packed in the laptop-only section other than the computer itself
So, as promised earlier my two top picks for these new carriers are:
- The Targus Zip-Thru Corporate Traveler Laptop Case. According to the Targus websit, the first in the Targus line of checkpoint-friendly laptop cases, it’s made of durable ballistic 1680 denier nylon, weighs 3.74 pounds, and measures 16.9 by 6.5 by 13.9 inches. The Zip-Thru accommodates laptop screens up to 15.4 inches and also offers the company’s SafePort Air Cushion System, which helps to prevent laptop damage if the bag is dropped or bumped.
- The Briggs & Riley Travelware SpeedThru. The SpeedThru case will have two front storage pouches, a secure Velcro flap closure, and Incipio’s signature and protective padded lining. Available in black or silver, the Incipio QuickCheck laptop cases ($34.99 to $39.99) can be preordered now for the MacBook Air, MacBook 13-inch, MacBook Pro 15-inch, and MacBook Pro 17-inch models.
