MacBook Air or bomb? One guy's trip through airport security

Apple's newest doodad is 3/4th of an inch at its thickest point and weighs three pounds. But apparently that makes the Macbook Air the perfect bomb--at least in the eyes of airport security.

One Mac lover ran his Air through the x-ray machine without thinking about what the lack of a hard drive, CD drive, or ports would look like to the security guys. Pretty soon, there are dozens of security guards running around thinking they've got a terrorist dumb enough to carry a bomb through the security checkpoint.

It wasn't until a new recruit with some common sense (and who reads the news) chimed in.

He tells the others that it is a real laptop, not a "device". That it has a solid-state drive instead of a hard disc. They don't know what he means. He tries again, "Instead of a spinning disc, it keeps everything in flash memory." Still no good. "Like the memory card in a digital camera." He points to the x-ray, "Here. That's what it uses instead of a hard drive."

Over at Reddit, there are some hilarious comments to this story. My favorite:

Ironic that the "Air" keeps him grounded.

In January, I raised concerns about the suitability of the MacBook Air for travelers. Add this to the list.

Filed under: Airports