Laptop,VidCam, CellPhone, Wires etc Through Airport Security?

[PSUGuy]

In short, should I put all electronics in clear plastic bags? Leave then loose? I know I have to take the laptop out of the case and put it in a bin but what's tha best way to deal with other electronic stuff?

Thanks,
Bill From PA

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Go to tsa.gov and start reading:

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information

Come back with questions if there is something you don't understand.

 

[goofy4tink]

I generally put all my electronics in a large, clear vinyl bag. That would be....chargers, cameras, ear-buds, cell phone. My iPad mini doesn't need to leave my tote bag. But yes, usually the lap top does. I use the vinyl bag only because it simplifies things for me. All that stuff goes in there, and stays in there, with the exception of my phone, for the entire trip. Do you have to? No. It's just easier.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Well, I don't know who thought the link was helpful, I finally found a small reference after sorting through the site and links.
It still doesn't tell me me how people practically use the tips.

Not the OP, Anyone can google the literature, I was interested in someone that went through the procedure and how to reduce the stress. I had a small lap top that went through one TSA in carry on, the next one flying out I had to dig it and the iPad out.
So I guess I will have the iPhone removed from my waiste, wallet, keys, money in container. Add the laptop removed from its sleeve to be inspected, leave the IPad, open in its foam sleeve, in the bucket. Drop the 3-3-1 bag in. Add shoes, hair Barrett, watch. My chargers, and cameras are all in a bag, I guess that can ride in a bucket.


If you go to the provided link FIRST you see this

Traveler Information
Approximately 1.8 million passengers pass through our nation's airports every day. TSA has prepared the TSA Traveler's Guide to help ensure passengers have the answers they need to common security screening questions. For travelers on-the-go, TSA has the "My TSA" mobile application for iOS (iPhone) devices, Android smartphones and mobile web users.

What to Know Before You Go
Acceptable Identification at the Checkpoint
How to Get Through the Line Faster
Liquid Rules: 3-1-1 for Carry-ons
Pat-Downs
Permitted and Prohibited Items: Can I Bring My...?
Screening for Passengers 75 and Older
Traveling with Food or Gifts
Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

One of the primary goals of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is to provide the highest level of security and customer service to all who pass through our screening checkpoints. Our current policies and procedures focus on ensuring that all passengers, regardless of their personal situations and needs, are treated equally and with the dignity, respect, and courtesy they deserve.

Read More
Traveling with Special Items

Here are some helpful guidelines for transporting special items from the security perspective. Please note that airlines and other countries may have additional rules and restrictions on these and other items. You should check with your airline for more information. If you are traveling...
Read More
Acceptable IDs

Adult passengers (18 and over) must show a valid U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight....
Read More

Then Second link you get this---How to get through the line Faster
maybe it's in here, so I look..
http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/how-get-through-line-faster

How to Get Through the Line Faster
download / print
What to Know Before You Go
Keep in mind the following advice to make your trip through the airport as fast and comfortable as possible.

Pack Smart (I think I may have found it)

When possible, don’t pack oversized electronics (laptops, full-size video game consoles, DVD players and video cameras that use cassettes) in checked baggage. Bringing them in your carry-on baggage is the best choice. However, you will need to remove them from your carry-on bags at the checkpoint for separate X-ray screening. Read about checkpoint friendly laptop bag procedures (that's another link). Small electronics, such as smartphones, tablets and certain other mobile/portable electronic devices, can stay in your carry-on baggage.

Prepare a 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag of liquids before arriving at the airport. Read about the 3-1-1 rule for carry-on baggage.

Pack all coats and jackets in checked baggage when possible. All coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine.

Do not wrap gifts. If security officers need to inspect a package, they may have to unwrap it. Don’t wrap gifts until you reach your final destination.

Film. Pack undeveloped film in your carry-on bag. If you have film that is faster than 800-speed, tell a TSA officer who will manually inspect the film instead of placing it through the X-ray.

When in doubt, leave it out. Unsure if you can bring an item through the checkpoint? Put it in your checked baggage or leave it at home. Read about prohibited items.

Dress the Part

If you set off an alarm during screening, the TSA officers have to find out why. They will conduct additional screening to make sure that the object that set off the alarm is not a threat.

Advanced Imaging Technology: Before you enter an AIT machine for screening, we strongly recommend that you remove ALL items from your pockets, as well as certain accessories. These include your wallet, belt, bulky jewelry, money, keys and cell phone. Removing these items will reduce the chance of additional screening after you exit the machine. Read about this technology.

Body piercings: Certain metal body piercings may cause the machines to alarm, which will result in additional screening. If this happens, you may be asked to remove your body piercing in private as an alternative to a pat-down search.

Head coverings: Travelers are allowed to wear head coverings and religious garments during the screening process. They may need additional screening if the headwear or clothing (religious or otherwise) is loose fitting or large enough to hide prohibited items. Learn more about security considerations for religious or cultural needs.

Shoes: Please remove your shoes before screening. Put them directly on the belt to go through the X-ray machine instead of in a bin with other items. It is safe, easy and gives officers a better look.

Tell a security officer if you are unable to remove your shoes because of a disability, medical condition or a prosthetic device. The security officer will give you additional screening that includes a visual and physical inspection.

Why do we screen shoes? Screening shoes by X-ray identifies anomalies, including explosives.

Have the Following Ready

You should present the following documents to a TSA officer at the checkpoint:

Boarding pass
Acceptable Identification
If you don’t have identification (lost, stolen, etc.), you will need to give the security officer information that will help verify your identity. Please allow additional time since this slows down the screening process and will result in additional screening. (Children do not have to show identification).

Hassle-Free Security Tips

Arrive on time. Ask your airline what time you should arrive for your flight – arrival time recommendations vary by airline and day of travel. Remember to leave enough time to check your bags and go through security.
Wear slip-on shoes. This way you can remove and replace your shoes quickly without sitting down.
Pets. Please remove your pet from its carrying case. Send the case through the X-ray machine. Hold your pet in your arms and carry it through the metal detector.
Children. Please take infants and children out of baby carriers and strollers and take them through the metal detector. Strollers and baby carriers go through the X-ray machine with your carry-on bags. If possible, collapse the stroller before you reach the metal detector. Read about traveling with children.
Think before you speak. Belligerent behavior, inappropriate jokes and threats is not tolerated. This kind of behavior will delay you and may cause you to miss your flight. If necessary, TSA officers may call local law enforcement.
Photography

TSA does not prohibit the public, passengers or press from photographing, videotaping or filming at security checkpoints, as long as it does not interfere with or slow down the screening process. We do ask you to not film or take pictures of the monitors. Also, while TSA does not prohibit photographs at screening locations, local laws, state statutes and local ordinances may do so.

Taking photographs may prompt airport police or a TSA official to ask what your purpose is. We recommend that you contact the TSA Contact Center to determine the policies of specific airports. If you are a member of the press, please contact the TSA Office of Public Affairs.

Latest revision: 15 July 2014

THIRD LINK...
"Checkpoint Friendly" Laptop Bag Procedures
download / print
Friday, August 15, 2008
Starting Aug. 16, 2008 TSA began to allow laptops to remain in bags meeting "checkpoint friendly" guidelines. Not all laptop bags are "checkpoint friendly" (see images below).

Click here to learn more about the industry process and guidelines for laptop bags.
Click here to read the press release on "TSA Ready for 'checkpoint friendly' Laptop Bags."
To help streamline the security process and better protect laptops, TSA recently encouraged manufacturers to design bags that will produce a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop when undergoing X-ray screening. A design that meets this objective will enable TSA to allow laptops to remain in bags for screening.

TSA screens laptops to see if the electronics have been tampered with. Transportation Security Officers know what the inside of a computer should look like, and they can recognize irregularities. This is why they need an unobstructed view as the item moves through the X-ray machine.

Purchasing one of these bags will not guarantee that you can leave your laptop in your bag for screening. If a Transportation Security Officer finds that the bag does not present a clear and distinct image of the laptop separate from the rest of the bag, the laptop must be screened separately.

There are laptop bag styles currently on the market, such as laptop-only sleeves, that have the potential to present a clear X-ray image of the laptop if they are correctly packed. However, most current laptop bags will not present a clear X-ray image and should not be sent through the X-ray with the laptop inside.

What does this mean for passengers?
If you intend to use a "checkpoint friendly" laptop bag once they are on the market, make sure to check that:
Your laptop bag has a designated laptop-only section that you can lay flat on the X-ray belt
There are no metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on-top of the laptop-only section
There are no pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
There is nothing in the laptop compartment other than the laptop
You have completely unfolded your bag so that there is nothing above or below the laptop-only section, allowing the bag to lie flat on the X-ray belt
Remember, a well designed "checkpoint friendly" bag must be packed appropriately if you intend to leave your laptop in your bag for screening.
TSA will not approve or endorse any bag design or manufacturer. TSA will only allow laptops to stay in bags through screening if they provide a clear and unobstructed X-ray image of the laptop.

Disclaimer:
Given TSA's use of random screening protocols, TSA reserves the right to re-screen any bag or laptop regardless of the design of the bag.

 

[disney world dreamer]

why would you put them in clear plastic bags???
you need not do anything special.
just toss them in.

 

[Goofy14sure]

I put everything in my carry on or laptop bag. I mean everything. Change, Money, wallet, belt, parking tickets, belt, Chargers, head phones and what ever. After I show my id and boarding pass they go into one off the bags too. Then you can go through with your liquids bag, laptop in the tray and carry on and laptop bag on the belt. The more you have separate the more you can leave behind. They like it if your wires are neatly placed in your bag and if they have any questions they may want to look. The last time I went thru Atlanta the guy in front of me left his keys wallet phone and change in the bin, not a good way to start a trip!

 

[maxiesmom]

In short, should I put all electronics in clear plastic bags? Leave then loose? I know I have to take the laptop out of the case and put it in a bin but what's tha best way to deal with other electronic stuff?

Thanks,
Bill From PA

You need do nothing with them. I like to put all of my chargers into a plastic bag, just so they don't get tangled and lost in the bottom of my bag, but that is it. And that is not something you have to do for the security checkpoint.

 

[goofy4tink]

why would you put them in clear plastic bags???
you need not do anything special.
just toss them in.

It's easier for me. I can see what's in there, without rummaging around. And...if there is any TSA issue, I can just pull or out and show it.
So, no..it doesn't have to be see through.

 

[ncc1701]

DH and I don't bring a laptop but do bring the rest plus 2 Nooks and MP3 players. The chargers and camera go in my carry on bag that goes in the bin and the rest in either my Lug bag or his carry on, both can go under the seat .

 

[Starwind]

My laptop normally lives inside a neoprene case in the carryon, but it has to come out of that and into the tray at security.

Tablets and smartphones may or may not have to go into a tray at security, depending on the rules at the time, bit I am prepared for them to have to, and I ask the security person if they need to.

The cabling and chargers do not normally need to go into the tray, but I don't like them being a bunch of spaghetti in my bag, either. So this is what I do:

First, each cable is coiled nicely and tied with either a velcro tie (One Wrap ties work great, come in various lengths and in multi-packs: http://www.velcro.com/Products/Ties-and-Straps/Ties/Assorted-Color-Ties#.VDC9DBZkfzk and http://www.joann.com/one-wrap-5-in-straps-brights-10-pk/11384203.html#q=velcro+one+wrap&start=7 and http://www.joann.com/one-wrap-8-in-straps-rainbow-5-pk/11384229.html#q=velcro+one+wrap&start=8 ) or a GearTie twist tie ( http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10034446&N=&Ntt=cable+tie ) or an appropriate-sized bobino Cord Wrap ( http://www.containerstore.com/shop/...93&green=34798A1A-F46A-5969-0889-F33E2567BEFB ), whichever works best for the item or me. (*note all of the above links are just examples of where one can purchase the items; they are available widely from many different online and brick and mortar retailers)

I have a few various-sized Eagle Creek pack-It sacs (example here http://www.ebags.com/product/eagle-creek/pack-it-sac-set/271311?productid=10296809 ). I even have ones of different colours if I feel like colour-coding. Cables and chargers go into these bags.

Sometimes I want cables/chargers to have a bit more protection, in which case I put them into a padded pouch: http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/...uctid=1277437&lastSearchTerm=ebags+padded+sac

So basically, cables are wrangled and then put into soft-sides sacs, and then those go into the various pockets of my soft-sided carry-on (usually a small backpack). Keeps them out of the way and they don't turn into a mess of spaghetti; also helps extend the life of the cables.

Now I did look into the Cocoon Grid-It ( http://www.cocooninnovations.com/grid.php ). I got a couple and decided they were too bulky, thick, heavy and unweildy to be practical, though the *idea* is great. I have since gotten *one* very small one that fits inside one of the Eagle Creek Pack-It sacs, to help tie down some of the cords and thus wrangle them a bit better (they are still tied with velcro, so velcro tied, then organized onto the very tiny CPG4-BK 5-Inch X 7-Inch Grid-It Organizer, which is then into the Eagle Creek sac).

Also, for anything that is in clothing pockets, watch, etc I have anl eagle creek sac for them; they are emptied into it well before the airport security line, and that pouch is put into the carry-on bag. I can put those things back where they "belong" once I am at the gate. However: before I even leave home I run through pockets to make sure that only essentials are there anyway -- most things don't need to be (I rarely have things in pockets anyway) and shouldn't be going on the trip. Basic "housekeeping" like that makes life much easier. Ditto before the trip taking the time to be emptying, sorting and repacking the purse and the carry-on bags and making sure you are only taking what you actually need (and making sure no contraband like an errant pocket knife founds its way into it).

Hope this helps.

-SW

 

[bumbershoot]

Not the OP, Anyone can google the literature, I was interested in someone that went through the procedure and how to reduce the stress. I had a small lap top that went through one TSA in carry on, the next one flying out I had to dig it and the iPad out.
So I guess I will have the iPhone removed from my waiste, wallet, keys, money in container. Add the laptop removed from its sleeve to be inspected, leave the IPad, open in its foam sleeve, in the bucket. Drop the 3-3-1 bag in. Add shoes, hair Barrett, watch. My chargers, and cameras are all in a bag, I guess that can ride in a bucket.

But anyone can tell you what they do, and it can all be undone by different TSA people. As you know from your post.


I find the TSA site to have quite a lot of information in it. It's not organized fabulously, but it's mostly there.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Ladygoldenhair, why have you reproduced the TSA website here? Do you know that this is a copyright violation?

Also, if you think a link to the source (TSA) is not helpful, where they very clearly and simply explain procedures for getting through security, then I'm afraid no one here can help.

 

[CarolMN]

You need do nothing with them. I like to put all of my chargers into a plastic bag, just so they don't get tangled and lost in the bottom of my bag, but that is it. And that is not something you have to do for the security checkpoint.

I also put everything except the laptop itself in a clear plastic bag because as someone else posted, it's a lot easier to make sure you have it all after you get through security. It's unbelievable how many electronics and accessories get left behind. Plus, if TSA wants a closer look, having everything in a clear plastic bag makes it so easy.

I keep my tablet in my purse and have never had to take that out, but I do take my laptop out.

Love that special line that doesn't require you to do anything but put your stuff through the x-ray and yourself through the scanner. I've been lucky the past several times to be randomly selected for it. Very quick and easy, especially in MCO.

 

[Carriemel]

Ladygoldenhair, why have you reproduced the TSA website here? Do you know that this is a copyright violation?

Also, if you think a link to the source (TSA) is not helpful, where they very clearly and simply explain procedures for getting through security, then I'm afraid no one here can help.

And as I work for TSA, any questions you might have are quite welcome. As far as the website being reproduced...not at all a good idea.

 

[goofy4tink]

I don't think there is a huge issue regarding copyright infringement here. The poster gave the TSA credit for the info. I doubt the TSA cares a whole lot about someone basically copying and pasting what their site says. I could be wrong, but it's just not an issue.

People....everyone knows how convoluted the TSA site is...sorry carriemel. It is soooo much easier just to give a poster the info they need rather than send them to the TSA site. Geez Louise, can we, maybe, try to be helpful around here? People are going to stop coming to this board.

 

[mhf]

HI, I have a mesh bag (like a packing cube, the small version) that holds all chargers, camera cards, extra batteries, small digital camera, etc. It normally just rides in my carry on. I've never had TSA ask me to take it out of the carry on but if I had to, it would be easy. With 2 iPhones and 2 iPads (different generations of course) and a camera, there are a lot of cords! This also makes it easy to say to DH "check the tech bag, it's probably in there" when he needs something.
On the way home, I've been known to put the bag in checked luggage, after I've removed the camera cards and kept those in my carry on.

For the Glory and WE ARE…

Melissa

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I don't think there is a huge issue regarding copyright infringement here. The poster gave the TSA credit for the info. I doubt the TSA cares a whole lot about someone basically copying and pasting what their site says. I could be wrong, but it's just not an issue.

People....everyone knows how convoluted the TSA site is...sorry carriemel. It is soooo much easier just to give a poster the info they need rather than send them to the TSA site. Geez Louise, can we, maybe, try to be helpful around here? People are going to stop coming to this board.

Thank you well stated.
Why come to a forum for practical advise if you get a link google already gave you. You come for the hands on used and tried experience of others willing to share.

If I wanted to learn about wild electrons in the air I would ask the college professor about finding Peer reviewed research. If I want to get rid of static cling, I ask a house wife.

Full Credit was given and linked, it is highlighted where the applicable sections were finally located. The intent was to sort and share information not steal it.
There was other information in the material I felt others may find helpful in entirety if we sort through it.

 

[jsilvers]

Ladygoldenhair, why have you reproduced the TSA website here? Do you know that this is a copyright violation?

No, it isn't. With some very limited exceptions, works produced by the U.S. government are not protected by copyright and can be reproduced freely. See, e.g., http://www.usa.gov/copyright.shtml.

 

[CPT Tripss]

But anyone can tell you what they do, and it can all be undone by different TSA people. As you know from your post.


I find the TSA site to have quite a lot of information in it. It's not organized fabulously, but it's mostly there.

No, it isn't. With some very limited exceptions, works produced by the U.S. government are not protected by copyright and can be reproduced freely. See, e.g., http://www.usa.gov/copyright.shtml.

We pay our taxes so we can share unclassified government information.

The biggest problem with relying on the materials posted on their site is that you are likely to be told by the Airport Security Screener at the airport one or more of the following:
The website is wrong,
We don't do it that way here,
That changed, the website is out of date.

 

[nkereina]

Two weeks ago, I went through security in Buffalo and in Atlanta. In both places, the only electronic that was required to come out of the bag was the laptop. Other than that, I had my iPhone, iPad, their respective chargers, an external battery, the charger for that, and a USB cord all loose in my bag and it was no issue. Didn't need to come out, no questions.