'Checkpoint-friendly' carry-ons accepted by TSA

Effective August 16, air travelers will no longer have to remove their laptop computers from their carry-ons when they go through security – but only if they use a so-called “checkpoint friendly” bag. The Transportation Security Administration said that starting this week, it will permit passengers to adopt the new procedure. Last spring, it invited luggage manufacturers to submit designs for bags that allow easy access to and inspection of laptops, and more than 40 prototypes were submitted for testing, TSA said. Approved bags must have a designated laptop-only section that completely unfolds to lie flat on the x-ray conveyor belt. They should have no metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, under or on top of the laptop section; and nothing should be packed in the laptop section except the computer. The agency said a small number of bags that meet these standards are already on the market, and many more should be hitting stores from mid-August onward. For more information on the new laptop cases and related TSA security procedures, go to http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm.