The TSA will roll out enhanced domestic flight screening
procedures for carry-on electronics in the weeks and months ahead.
Under the new rules, flyers must remove all electronic
devices larger than a cell phone from their carry-on bags and place each item
alone in a bin to go through screening. That means tablets, e-readers and
handheld games consoles will be subject to the same screening rules that the
TSA has long used for laptops.
The toughened rules are part of a broader effort by the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to beef up screening efforts for flights
worldwide that service U.S. airports. On June 28, DHS issued heightened
screening requirements for all airlines that fly to the U.S.
The TSA said that it has extensively tested the new domestic
procedures at 10 airports. The rules are already in place in Boston; Colorado
Springs; Detroit; Fort Lauderdale; Boise, Idaho; Los Angeles; Lubbock, Texas;
Las Vegas; Phoenix; and San Juan. They don't apply to flyers with access to the
TSA Precheck security lanes.
The TSA also said that it is possible that passengers will
experience more bag checks than in the past.
"However, through extensive testing, TSA identified
ways to improve screening procedures with quicker and more targeted measures to
clear the bags," the agency said.
The DHS began implementing additional countermeasures in relation
to electronic devices in the early spring after intelligence reports showed
that terror organizations were developing new ways to implant electronics with
explosives.