• Federal air travel regulations make air travel safer for everyone.air travel poster image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
  
  Air travel is a safe and convenient way of going places. In order to keep it safe for everyone, there are some federal regulations that travelers have to follow in the United States. These include requirements for passengers to show proper identification and regulations relating to what materials you can take on board an airplane with you.
  
  

Identification Requirements

• Passengers 18 years of age and older must show acceptable identification at airport checkpoints to be allowed through the checkpoints so that they can board their flights. U.S. federal- or state-issued photo identification must contain the passenger's name, date of birth, gender and date of expiration. The identification should also have a feature that makes it tamper-proof. Acceptable forms of identification include a U.S. passport or passport card, permanent resident card (green card) and a driver's license. The security checkpoints also accept foreign passports as identification.
  
  

Prohibited Items

• The U.S. government has a list of items that are prohibited on airplanes. While the government prohibits travelers from carrying most of them onto the airplane, you can transport some of these items in your checked luggage. The prohibited list item includes objects that the government categorizes as sharp objects, sporting goods, guns and firearms, tools, martial arts and self-defense items, explosive and flammable materials, disabling chemicals and other dangerous items, as well as some miscellaneous items.
  
  

Laptop Inspections

• Federal regulations call for laptops to be inspected at airport checkpoints to see if anyone has tampered with them. You will usually have to take the laptop out of its bag for such inspection purposes, unless the bag meets certain "checkpoint friendly" standards. The Transportation Security Administration states that security inspectors need not take a laptop out of its bag for inspection if the bag provides a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop when the bag goes through airport X-ray screening. The government has laid down some requirements for laptop bags to be considered "checkpoint friendly." Using such a bag is, however, not a guarantee that your laptop will not be taken out of the bag for inspection.