Worth it? Extras to speed through airline security

Laptop bags that may not require removal of your computer. Luggage concierge services that enable you to check your bags before you arrive at the airport. PDAs to display your mobile boarding pass.

These gadgets and services can help speed Americans through security, and they will not hit your wallet very hard.

Here are some tips to guide you through deciding whether the extra costs are worth it.

Consider bringing your laptop in a sleeve
Skooba Design sells a laptop sleeve for $19.95 that can be carried on your own with a removable shoulder strap and can unfold to lie flat on the airport X-ray machine belt.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration will allow you to keep your laptop in such bags during the screening process if security can capture a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop.

Skooba’s Netbook Neo-Sleeve is billed as a formfitting, stretchy and cushy case that protects the laptop without adding bulk. It has a front pocket for a power adapter, though you will want to keep the computer alone in the sleeve during screening. A range of so-called “checkpoint friendly” laptop bags can be found on eBags.com.

TSA does not approve specific bags or offer guarantees that the traveler will not have to remove the computer, but it has encouraged manufacturers to design bags that will allow screeners to obtain clear images and give travelers the best shot at being able to keep computers in their bags.

Bottom line: The price is right, so it is worth the cost if you regularly carry a laptop.

Consider checking your bags at your hotel
For instance, Disney offers a free luggage concierge service at some of its Walt Disney World resort hotels in Orlando, Fla. If you are traveling from one U.S. location to another on a designated airline, you can get your boarding pass and check your luggage at the hotel, bypassing airport check-in.

Disney says guests have to visit the hotel airline check-in desk up to three hours before their flight. Delta, United and AirTran are among the participating airlines.

Also some parking lots near major airports, including the Atlanta airport, allow checking bags for free. Only certain airlines participate, but it can free the traveler from carrying bags to the terminal.

Bottom line: If it is free, what is the harm?