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New TSA-approved laptop bags, like this one from Skooba Design, are made to pass through security unopened.
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If your laptop computer is standard equipment on golf vacations, a new rule by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may make it faster and easier to get through those frustratingly slow airport security lines.
The TSA recently announced that, as of August 16, 2008, it will allow laptop computers to be X-rayed while still in their cases, provided the bags meet the TSA's newly formed requirements and that they are packed so that nothing obstructs the X-ray machine's ability to capture a, "clear and distinct image of the laptop separate from the rest of the bag."
Bag manufacturers are scrambling to meet the requirements and ramp up production, so it may be another month or so before you can actually get your hands on one of these TSA-approved laptop bags (which range in price from $99-$150) for your golf vacations, but pre-orders are being take by some companies, including:
- Pathfinder (pathfinderluggage.com)
- Skooba Design (skoobadesign.com)
- Targus (targus.com)
- Travelon (travelonbags.com)
- Mobile Edge (mobileedge.com)
In-bag X-rays may not seem like much of a time saver, but think about how long it takes to remove a laptop from its case, pick up any items that may have fallen out, and place the laptop in its own, dedicated bin all the while juggling shoes, belts, and other bags. Now multiply that by the hundreds of people in line and it's easy to see how this could really help move things along.
Will TSA-approved laptop bags eliminate long lines completely? Not likely. But we're for anything that helps us get through the airport and on to our golf vacations that much faster.
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