MacBook Airs are back in the news with the recent release of the next generation models. People are asking if they need to come out of bags prior to X-ray screening since they’re smaller. As much as people might like me to spark off a Mac vs. PC war here, I’m happy to report that the same rules apply to all electronics. You’ll find no favoritism here. Back in April I wrote a post titled Traveling with E-readers, Netbooks, and Other Small Gadgets (Including the iPad). In that post I explained that electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop (including e-readers, netbooks, tablets, personal DVD players, etc) do not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. So with those rules in mind, the 11” model of the MacBook Air is fine to leave in your bag, and the 13” model must be removed prior to X-ray screening. Unless of course you own one of the "Checkpoint friendly" laptop bags... Keep in mind that even though you’ve done everything right, our officers are trained to look for anomalies and the need may arise to take a closer look at your gadget.
I hope this clears things up. And just so you know we shipped out posters this past summer to all of our 450+ airports around the country explaining the same rules to our workforce. Removing laptops or anything resembling a laptop has become part of our security DNA, so we thought it best to send out a refresher to our workforce. Enjoy your gadgets! I know I do…
Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team
