Let’s face it, going through security at the airport sucks. You have to remove your iPad and MacBook from your carry-on bag, and don’t even get me started about trying to hold my pants up with no belt.
Well, while there might not be any help on the way for the belt thing, there is hope that someday soon you’ll be able to leave the iPad and MacBook in your carry-on.
But that could be set to change. Both New York’s JFK airport and London’s Heathrow are testing a new type of 3D scanner that could allow everything to remain inside the bag.
Current scanners are two-dimensional, so if you get an iPad on top of a laptop on top of a toiletries bag, it can be hard for the operator to make sense of the image. But the new scanner allow operators to tilt and rotate the image on a touchscreen, making it far easier to see the contents.
However, you shouldn’t expect to see any changes real soon. Gizmodo reports a TSA administrator says it could take up to five years for 3D scanners to be in widespread operation:
“In the future, CT could offer the opportunity for passengers to leave liquids, gels and aerosols, as well as laptops, in their carry-on bags at all times,” American Airlines said in its announcement. A TSA administrator offered a more concrete timeline to CBS News, sort of: “We think in perhaps five years or so, the passengers won’t have to take anything out of their carry-on bags.”
Until then, you’ll still need to remove your electronic devices from your carry-on, and somehow figure out a way to keep your pants from falling when you’re sans-belt and need to put your hands in the air for the inevitable body scan.