When walking through the security line, each passenger who is flying out of the airport and passing the security checkpoint must pass through a metal detector and prepare his wardrobe in certain ways. All passengers must take off their shoes and put them on a conveyor belt to pass through an X-ray machine. All passengers must also empty their pockets and take off any metal items, including belts, rings and other pieces of metal jewelry. Passengers are also often asked to take off heavy coats and have them pass through the X-ray machine before walking through the metal detector.
All carry-on bags, packages, strollers or any other items that are being taken on an airplane must be placed on a conveyor belt which will transport the item through an X-ray machine. Transportation Security Administration Officials will watch a monitor beside the machine to see what is inside each item to ensure it does not contain weapons or explosives.
All laptop computers carried on the plane must be taken out of their bags and placed in a bin or directly on the conveyor belt to be examined separately. This is because computers are thicker pieces of equipment and sometimes cannot be seen clearly through a bag.
There are certain items which cannot be carried on a plane at all. Any type of weapon, such as a knife of any size or a gun of any kind, cannot be carried on a plane unless you are a law enforcement official and have a very specific badge or authorization allowing you to do so. Fireworks or any other combustible solutions such as lighter fluid or gasoline cannot be brought on planes and neither can lighters, which could allow a passenger to start a fire while the plane is flying through the air. Liquids, ranging from hair gel to water, also may not be brought on airplanes.
