Aviation experts deny laptop screening is for show

Chinese aviation security experts yesterday denied that asking passengers to take laptops out of their luggage is mere "security theater," after a Web user forwarded a New York Times report which quoted a US security expert who claimed the checks are only about appearances.

In the April 4 article, "The Mystery of the Flying Laptop," Matt Richtel wrote of his experience at San Francisco International Airport, when agents of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) required him to remove his laptop from his bag, but not a tablet device, like an iPad.

After failing to get an explanation from the TSA about the logic behind the rules, Richtel quoted an anonymous security expert, who said that "the laptop rule is about appearances, giving people a sense that something is being done to protect them."

Wang Ran, CEO of China eCapital Corporation put the comment on his microblog on April 7. It was forwarded over 9,200 times and had attracted 1,384 comments by yesterday.

Local travelers were upset to think that airport checks were just a security show they had to put up with.

Beijing Capital International Airport refused to comment on whether taking laptops out was just for show, or explain why it is necessary to do so.

"We strictly follow the regulations issued by the government. This type of item needs to be out of the bag, and we always notify the public at the airport," said a publicity official from the airport who declined to be named.

The director of the news website for the Civil Aviation Administration of China, surnamed Zhao, said that "airports in China adopt stricter security regulations than the US, and treat iPads and similar electronics alike."

Many airline companies, including Joy Air and Hainan Airlines refuted the "security theater" theory in posts on their microblogs.

"If the laptop isn't taken out, the shadow of the metal solder joints area inside the laptop could block something dangerous in the luggage," said Ma Xuhui, an air marshal for Hainan Airlines.

"It's a specific measure to ensure flight safety and it's definitely unfair to call it a show," noted Ma.