Before airport screening, shut down or lock your laptop, remove nothing you do not need from your bag, and carry the security key and phone on your body. At the checkpoint, watch your devices through the scanner and collect them in one go. Afterwards, check them before you board.
Why airports are a risk
Screening is the moment you hand your laptop to a conveyor belt, then wait, then pick up a pile of devices in a hurry. The TSA says to remove laptops from your bag and place them in a separate bin for X-ray screening, with an exception for TSA PreCheck travellers. That rule is why the device leaves your hands.
The common failures are simple: leaving a laptop in a bin, picking up the wrong one, and being distracted at the exact time someone else collects your bag.
Before you leave home
- Update the laptop and phone before the trip, not in the departure lounge.
- Check disk encryption is on. See Is a hotel room safe for a laptop?.
- Remove access you do not need. See Should developers travel with production access?.
- Put a label with a contact email on the laptop, but not your employer's name or a project name.
- Know your lost device runbook, including the GitHub and AWS steps.
At the checkpoint
- Shut down the laptop or at least lock it. A locked screen with a strong password is the minimum.
- Keep the security key on a lanyard or in a zipped pocket, not in the laptop bag.
- Put the laptop in the bin last, and take it first.
- Do not leave a phone, watch and laptop in separate bins.
- If you are asked to power on a device, do so, and keep it in view.
- If someone asks you to unlock it for anything beyond the normal screening, ask for a supervisor and see the border notes in Conference travel security checklist.
In the terminal and gate area
Airport Wi-Fi is the same kind of shared network discussed in Is public Wi-Fi safe?. Use your phone hotspot for sensitive tasks. Use a privacy screen filter if you work with confidential data, since a gate area has many eyes behind you. Keep the laptop between your feet or on your lap, not on a seat beside you.
After screening
Check that you have all your items, in order: laptop, phone, security key, charger, any dongles. A simple habit is to say them aloud. Look at the laptop quickly for damage or an unexpected prompt before packing it.
A short card for the team
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Before leaving | Updates, encryption, trimmed access |
| Before the belt | Lock or shut down, key on body |
| At the bin | Laptop last in, first out |
| After the belt | Count items, check screen |
| On loss | Report within the hour |
Safeguard does not protect devices in transit. It covers dependency scanning, SBOMs and policy gates for the code your team ships. Run a free scan before you travel to see your baseline.
Quick check
Should I put the laptop in checked baggage?
Avoid it. Checked bags are out of your sight and exposed to loss and theft. Keep the laptop in your carry on.
Do I need to shut down the laptop for screening?
Screening rules vary, so follow staff instructions. As a habit, lock it at minimum, and shut it down if it will be out of your hands.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
