TSA

If the thought of flying during the holidays and long TSA lines triggers a migraine, these tips from the TSA will show you how to properly pack your gadgets, accessories, and chargers, and speed through the security line like frequent flyer.

• Pack in layers — Layer clothes, electronics, then clothes again inside a carry-on so the TSA agent can quickly see what's in there. This strategy also works better than the cram-everything-in-your-bag strategy once you unpack at your destination.

Check out the rest of the tips, including how to wrap your cords, and what kinds of bags are TSA-friendly after the break.

If you're heading out on a jet plane for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you've probably already given airport security some thought. If the thought of long TSA lines triggers a migraine, these tips from the TSA will teach you how to properly pack your gadgets, accessories, and chargers and help you speed through the X-ray line.

• Pack in layers. Layer clothes, electronics, then clothes again inside a carry-on so the TSA agent can quickly see what's in there. This strategy also works better than the cram-everything-in-your-bag strategy once you unpack at your destination.

Check out the rest of the tips, including how to wrap your cords, and what kinds of bags are TSA-friendly after the break.

It's such a chore walking through the airport screening these days. Your shoes, outerwear, and jewelry come off, and your electronics and liquids have to be taken out of your bags and dumped into a tray.

There's good news and bad news for passengers sick of these screening rituals. The good news: the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently announced that travelers won't have to take their shoes off at airports in the future. Before you start jumping up and down for joy, here's the not-so-good news: the technology needed for scanning shoe-wearing passengers does not exist yet, and won't be available soon.

And for those who find the liquid limits for air travelers tedious and confining, no hope on the horizon there. Napolitano says, "The technology isn't quite there yet, and it won't be for a while, but I think one of the first things you will see over time is the ability to keep your shoes on, and one of the last things you will probably see is a reduction or removing the limitation on liquids."

What are your pet peeves about the airport screening process?

If you plan on taking advantage of cheap Summer airfare deals to get out of town this season, then you better be prepared to stand in long security lines. You can help speed up your own TSA checkpoint experience by properly packing your carry-on bag, but you can also save yourself some time and stress by downloading the free My TSA app for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

This handy app can give you all sorts of information, from what you can and can't take on board (with a keyword search in case you don't see your item listed online); a travelers guide that includes rules, warnings, regulations, and packing tips; a checkpoint estimator, which tells you in real time how long it's taking to make it through security lines at your airport, along with flight delay and weather information.

Ever since full-body scans became the norm at most US airports last Fall, I've opted for the extensive pat down instead. The thought of someone seeing under my clothes doesn't bother me as much as the potential radiation risks amplified by regular exposure to the scanners. And while the pat down is intrusive and slightly embarrassing, especially when they go inside the top of your pants, I guess I feel relieved that I have an option to avoid the scanner.

The Texas House of Representatives doesn't think we should have to pick between two intrusive evils. Last month it approved a bill that would ban any pat down that "touches the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person including through the clothing, or touches the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person." There's also a parallel bill that would ban scanners that allow people to be seen naked. The bill has stalled in the state senate after federal officials threatened to shut down any flights out of Texas due to security concerns.

Today the Republican sponsor of the bill David Simpson defended it in the New York Times. Find out what he said when you keep reading.

If you're heading out on a jetplane for a long weekend, you've probably already given airport security some thought. I'll leave the body scanner debate for another day, but did you know your carry-on luggage could slow you down at the checkpoint, too? Properly packing your gadgets, accessories, and chargers will speed you through the X-ray line. Here, a few tips from the TSA on how to pack your bags and move right on through security.

• Pack in layers. Layer clothes, electronics, then clothes again inside a carry-on so the TSA agent can quickly see what's in there. This strategy also works better than the cram-everything-in-your-bag strategy once your unpack at your destination.

Get the rest of the tips after the jump.

Airports may soon become a tampon-only zone for women wanting to avoid the invasive pat down. In the latest TSA horror story, a woman recounts being treated like a potential underwear bomber because she was wearing a pad. Some background: the woman was using GladRags, reusable cloth menstruation pads that are better for the environment, but it seems that any woman wearing something in her underwear, like a disposable maxi-pad or panty-liner, would be stopped.

In a letter to GladRags, the violated passenger explains:

What ultimately happened is that I was subjected to search so invasive that I was left crying and dealing with memories that I thought had been dealt with years ago of prior sexual assaults. Why? Because of my flannel panty-liner. These new scans are so horrible that if you are wearing something unusual (like a piece of cloth on your panties) then you will be subjected to a search where a woman repeatedly has to check your "groin" while another woman watches on (two in my case — they were training in a new girl — awesome).

In addition to the personal invasion, a screening system that treats a natural bodily function as a sign of a terrorist threat doesn't sound that advanced or efficient. And if you experienced any abuse during screenings, you can always report it to the ACLU.

There's an uproar about the recent Transportation Security Administration enforced regulations that some say have crossed the line. From the 11-year-old boy who went shirtless while being frisked to the bladder cancer survivor whose urostomy bag leaked urine onto his clothes because of a pat down, there are a growing number of stories about outraged passengers.

I know 53 percent of you said you felt uncomfortable with the naked body scanners, but how do you feel about the pat-downs? Do you think the TSA is looking out for us or has it gone too far?

As reader suziryder pointed out, certain laptop sleeves are TSA-approved to head through the airport security X-ray scanner with your laptop still inside. And when you're packing a carry-on full of tech, a TSA-approved sleeve could save you precious time as you approach the security checkpoint.

Wondering which models are TSA-approved? Check out a list of characteristics of checkpoint-friendly bags after the break.