The Day Air Travel Was Forever Changed.
Before September 11, 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks in the United States, you could walk through airport security with carry-on luggage stuffed with anything you needed for your trip, including a knife with a blade length of 10 cm.
That’s right, because the terrorists that day brought such weapons onto the planes.
A laptop can effectively shield suspicious items from being detected by security personnel. (Photo: Getty).
After that fateful day on 9/11, luggage screening procedures around the world changed overnight. In the U.S., security personnel were no longer private contractors earning low wages, but part of a federal program with highly trained security staff. Anything that could be considered a weapon was banned.
Globally, air travelers suddenly found themselves required to remove shoes, belts, and jackets, as well as take out phones, laptops, liquids, and anything else that could potentially be used as part of an explosive device.
This situation persisted for several years. Eventually, more modern screening methods were adopted to effectively detect security threats. Today, in some countries, you are no longer required to remove your shoes when passing through security.
Why Do You Still Have to Remove Your Laptop from Your Bag?
Security scanners are X-ray machines. The main reason you have to take your laptop out of your bag is that the battery and other mechanical components of the laptop are too dense for the X-rays to pass through easily, especially with older X-ray machines. Similarly, batteries, tablets, and cameras must also be removed.
When these items are in a bag, security personnel cannot use the scanner to identify other potentially dangerous items if they exist. They would have to conduct a manual check, which is very time-consuming. The better approach is to ask passengers to remove these devices from their bags beforehand.
A laptop itself inside a bag is also difficult to inspect. Scanning it separately makes it easier to determine if it contains anything suspicious. In some cases, you may be asked to power on the laptop to ensure it is indeed a functioning computer.
With modern scanning technology, security personnel can observe bags from multiple angles to see if anything is being concealed. Some airports have advanced 3D scanners that allow passengers to pass through security without taking out their laptops.
If you are not asked to remove your laptop from your bag, it is likely because the airport is equipped with that modern scanning system.
