Filed under: Humor, MacBook Air
How a MacBook Air baffled airport security
Alternate title: The MacBook Air is a device, but it's not a "Device."Programmer Michael Nygard is used to travel. He's got the process down, from airport to hotel. Unfortunately, the TSA isn't as prepared.
While passing through airport security recently, he was pulled aside and made to sit in the holding area. He watched as a gaggle of TSA workers examined his things, especially his laptop ...
"'There's no drive,' one says. 'And no ports on the back. It has a couple of lines where the drive should be,' she continues...."
As you've probably guessed, Michael's MacBook Air had them all baffled. Fortunately, a younger member of the team eventually arrived and explained that it's not a "device," but a computer with a solid state hard drive. It's good to know they're keeping up with this kind of thing.
Here's a warning to everyone traveling to SxSW this weekend with a MacBook Air: schedule a few extra minutes for the airport.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
exNewt said 3:15PM on 3-07-2008
These are the same "mouth-breathers" I deal with monthly, wherein I asked one TSA agent last week on a trip "so, now that the 'threat level' is increased to ORANGE, what should I do differently??"
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Raf said 3:32PM on 3-07-2008
Still not as boneheaded as the crew that I saw make the NY National Guardsmen patrolling the JFK terminal I in put their M-16s, sidearms & ammo clips onto the conveyer.
I caught the glance of one of the troopers and he shot me the "Don't say anything, we have to deal with these idiots on a regular basis" look.
Sigh.
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Will said 6:11PM on 3-07-2008
You never know when one of those Guardsmen might try to hide a bomb in his machine gun...
Angel said 3:42PM on 3-07-2008
I bet they just wanted to get a closer look at the MBA because they probably never saw one in person before :P
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Dan said 5:15PM on 3-07-2008
Similar thing happened to me with my new driver's license in DC. I got one on the second day after they issued a brand new design (about 6 years ago now), a week later I got pulled over... first by two cops, then by four more (six total!!!). They just didn't have anything else to do but look at the new design.
Let me go with a warning :-)
kerrybannen said 3:44PM on 3-07-2008
never ever go through with a camera that can't be purchased at best buy. they had no idea what they were looking at, and baffled as to why i wouldnt have checked $5000 worth of equipment, so i got to wait for 30 minutes while they did the test for explosives on EVERYTHING i own. because apparently terrorists have now become masters of disguise, and MAY JUST BE that 5 foot tall, 90 lb white girl.
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bmheffernan said 3:49PM on 3-07-2008
Nicole Ritchie?
kerrybannen said 3:55PM on 3-07-2008
fortunately not
Endrju said 4:59PM on 3-07-2008
Right, right. Because terrorists are never white. Or female. I can almost taste the collusion.
infoclipper said 6:13PM on 3-07-2008
What's scary is how much information about you that response actually provided. Art student, right?
sam said 11:01AM on 3-10-2008
uhh so are you advocating racial profiling?
ambidextroushbw said 5:28PM on 3-11-2008
right, right, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin were not female, white or terrorists now, were they...
Brian McGuire said 3:45PM on 3-07-2008
I had a similar encounter at the Toronto airport. I had around 5 TSA folks looking at my MBA. They were all stunned to how thin it was. I thought it was pretty funny.
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noza said 3:56PM on 3-07-2008
You mean CATSA right? I really hope TSA isn't inspecting bags in Canada...
Frank Furter said 4:04PM on 3-07-2008
Yes, because we KNOW nothing gets through Canada to the US.
artifex said 4:08PM on 3-07-2008
Leave a script running to take pictures next time, and you'll have lolCATSA to post, later. Although, maybe not, they may claim that's illegal.
Brian McGuire said 4:26PM on 3-07-2008
oops. I didn't know the correct name. TSA, CATSA, MBA they all dug it :-)
Beau said 8:42PM on 3-07-2008
@artifex
bahaha, that made me laugh!
Good idea :-)
Francesco Caporusso said 10:53PM on 3-07-2008
No, at airports in Canada when you are flying to the States you go through customs BEFORE you get on the plane. The customs agents are Americans and the security you go through after customs is TSA. When you arrive in the US you pull up to a domestic gate.
Fraser JK said 4:04PM on 3-07-2008
Just proves that apple has made one hell of a device!
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