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According to this Guardian article, the ban was caused by a plan to hide a bomb in an iPad: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/plot-explosives-ipad-u

According to this Guardian article, the ban was caused by a plan to hide a bomb in an iPad: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/plot-explosives-ipad-us-uk-laptop-ban https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/plot-explosive... I always thought it was weird that you could keep an iPad packed in your carry on but a laptop had to be scanned separately even if it was a similar size to an iPad.

daemin 10y ago
I think that is due to the thickness of a laptop compared to an ipad and some x-ray machines not being powerful enough. One time I've had to take out my tablets, out of my bag and out of their case even.
- raverbashing 10y ago
  Some (older) laptops were sandwiched between thick metal panes, for EMC and mechanical reasons Probably not very transparent to x-rays
  - wwwv 10y ago
    Completely transparent as far as a luggage X-ray is concerned, they're very high power because they don't have to care about exposure limits like medical imaging would. They usually have multiple attenuators and detectors so they can do neat tricks like detection of organic materials.
    - londons_explore 10y ago
      But they usually can't detect an organic material behind a varying thickness metal plate. And metal in laptops is often varying thickness (either due to the design, or poor manufacturing tolerance), hence the concerns that organic explosives can be hidden in their "xray shadow".
- wwwv 10y ago
  No, luggage X-rays are extremely powerful, think 120kV or higher. They can easily penetrate inches of steel on the low end.
camillomiller 10y ago
Every security check in Europe and SE Asia I passed in the last few years (~60 flights) mandated to take every device out of the bag, iPads and smartphones included
- alistairSH 10y ago
  Weird. I've been to Italy, Scotland (via Dublin), and Iceland and never have to scan small devices separately. The laptop gets pulled out and placed in a bucket. The tablet and phone stay in luggage. It's all so inconsistent, it makes you wonder if any of the security agencies half any clue at all.
  - phicoh 10y ago
    I tend to bring an insane amount of electronics in my hand luggage. The reason that need big objects like laptops separately is that they block too much when they are scanning the rest of your luggage. So if on average the scanner can see through an ipad then there is no need to take it out. I my case, all they see is a huge collection of wires and small devices, so all of that needs to be put on separate shelves and scanned again.
    - alistairSH 10y ago
      Still weird. My carry-on for all of trips I listed above was MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone, Olympus mirrorless camera, 2-3 lenses, Canon P&S camera, 2 USB charging bricks, chargers for the camera batteries, charger for the MBA, a bunch of USB cables. Some snack food, a light jacket, and toiletries. Of course, the really maddening part is the inconsistency. I use TSA Pre-check when possible, so I'm accustomed to not taking off my shoes, unpacking my bags, etc. It's a giant hassle when I'm flying abroad and the rules change. Especially since the rules change arbitrarily - I've passed through Edinburgh a few times over the past 2 years and sometimes the laptop comes out, sometimes it stays in the bag.
      - phicoh 10y ago
        The ultimate reference point is whether the person watching the screen at the scanner can see everything or not. If most of the time laptops are transparent enough then why bother asking people to remove them. On the other hand, if routinely they can't properly scan it and have to deal with delay, they will instruct people to take it out of the bag. In the end it still is security theatre so it doesn't have to make sense as long as it looks convincing enough.
RBerenguel 10y ago
In Barcelona (I fly once a month the LGW-BCN route) I'm frequently asked to take out even my mobile phone and/or cables and chargers (granted, I have quite a few usually) from my backpack and put them on the tray, OTOH in Gatwick I have to leave the phone in the backpack... But then I randomly need to take something out because, who knows. The iPad always has to be out with the laptop, though (in all airports I've flown recently, at least)
alasdair_ 10y ago
If your laptop is thin enough, you can keep it in your carry-on.
- Raphmedia 10y ago
  Gives a new meaning to the Macbook Air. Thin enough you can carry it on a plane.

daemin 10y ago

I think that is due to the thickness of a laptop compared to an ipad and some x-ray machines not being powerful enough. One time I've had to take out my tablets, out of my bag and out of their case even.

raverbashing 10y ago
Some (older) laptops were sandwiched between thick metal panes, for EMC and mechanical reasons Probably not very transparent to x-rays
- wwwv 10y ago
  Completely transparent as far as a luggage X-ray is concerned, they're very high power because they don't have to care about exposure limits like medical imaging would. They usually have multiple attenuators and detectors so they can do neat tricks like detection of organic materials.
  - londons_explore 10y ago
    But they usually can't detect an organic material behind a varying thickness metal plate. And metal in laptops is often varying thickness (either due to the design, or poor manufacturing tolerance), hence the concerns that organic explosives can be hidden in their "xray shadow".
wwwv 10y ago
No, luggage X-rays are extremely powerful, think 120kV or higher. They can easily penetrate inches of steel on the low end.

camillomiller 10y ago

Every security check in Europe and SE Asia I passed in the last few years (~60 flights) mandated to take every device out of the bag, iPads and smartphones included

alistairSH 10y ago
Weird. I've been to Italy, Scotland (via Dublin), and Iceland and never have to scan small devices separately. The laptop gets pulled out and placed in a bucket. The tablet and phone stay in luggage. It's all so inconsistent, it makes you wonder if any of the security agencies half any clue at all.
- phicoh 10y ago
  I tend to bring an insane amount of electronics in my hand luggage. The reason that need big objects like laptops separately is that they block too much when they are scanning the rest of your luggage. So if on average the scanner can see through an ipad then there is no need to take it out. I my case, all they see is a huge collection of wires and small devices, so all of that needs to be put on separate shelves and scanned again.
  - alistairSH 10y ago
    Still weird. My carry-on for all of trips I listed above was MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone, Olympus mirrorless camera, 2-3 lenses, Canon P&S camera, 2 USB charging bricks, chargers for the camera batteries, charger for the MBA, a bunch of USB cables. Some snack food, a light jacket, and toiletries. Of course, the really maddening part is the inconsistency. I use TSA Pre-check when possible, so I'm accustomed to not taking off my shoes, unpacking my bags, etc. It's a giant hassle when I'm flying abroad and the rules change. Especially since the rules change arbitrarily - I've passed through Edinburgh a few times over the past 2 years and sometimes the laptop comes out, sometimes it stays in the bag.
    - phicoh 10y ago
      The ultimate reference point is whether the person watching the screen at the scanner can see everything or not. If most of the time laptops are transparent enough then why bother asking people to remove them. On the other hand, if routinely they can't properly scan it and have to deal with delay, they will instruct people to take it out of the bag. In the end it still is security theatre so it doesn't have to make sense as long as it looks convincing enough.

RBerenguel 10y ago

In Barcelona (I fly once a month the LGW-BCN route) I'm frequently asked to take out even my mobile phone and/or cables and chargers (granted, I have quite a few usually) from my backpack and put them on the tray, OTOH in Gatwick I have to leave the phone in the backpack... But then I randomly need to take something out because, who knows. The iPad always has to be out with the laptop, though (in all airports I've flown recently, at least)

alasdair_ 10y ago

If your laptop is thin enough, you can keep it in your carry-on.

Raphmedia 10y ago
Gives a new meaning to the Macbook Air. Thin enough you can carry it on a plane.