The smart reason you have to take your laptop out of your bag when going through airport security
FREQUENT flyers know that when you go through airport security you have to take your laptop and electronic devices out of your hand luggage.
But do you know the smart reason airport staff make you do that?
Airport x-ray machine operator Michael Sørensen has explained why passengers have to remove electronics before they can head off to duty free.
It's all to do with a laptop's battery and how it looks inside the x-ray machine.
He wrote on Quora: "The main reason that you need to remove laptops especially and tablets sometimes is because the batteries and some electronics are so dense metallic material that they obscure what's beneath.
"So that's why we ask for electronics with large batteries to be next to your bag or in a tray on its own."
If staff didn't tell passengers to remove their laptops, then flyers would be able to sneak in prohibited items as they wouldn't get spotted.
Removing laptops allows security staff to ensure that passengers are following airport rules and no dangerous items will be smuggled onto the plane.
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Michael continued: "If I notice a laptop in a bag I'll either ask the owner to remove it or take the bag around again and turn it over to see from the other side.
"Depends on how big and annoying [the device] is in my view."
Laptop batteries aren't just a pain while going through security - they can also be extremely dangerous on the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration in America warned that laptop batteries can overheat while they are in the hold on a plane.
They say that if a laptop set alight in a bag that also contained flammable items like an aerosol deodorant, a fire could quickly grow large enough for it send a whole plane up in flames.
In other flight safety news, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed it is safe for parents to fly with a child on their lap - as long as they are under a certain age.
A pilot has revealed how long you can survive if a window smashes in the middle of a flight.
And these are the shoes you should never wear when flying - they could even prove fatal.
