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New TSA Screening Procedures Will Require X-Ray Scans For Nintendo Switches, iPads, Amazon Kindles
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Wednesday that tablets, e-readers, and portable gaming systems will be required to be removed from bags and places through an x-ray screening process.
The change in policy by the TSA will require devices like iPads and Amazon Kindles and gaming platforms like the Nintendo Switch to undergo the same screening process that laptops are subjected to.
Under the new rules, travelers will be required to remove “all electronics larger than a cell phone” from their carry-on luggage and place the devices in a bin with no other items above or below the device. For the tech-savvy travelers who may carry multiple devices with them, this may require multiple bins just for electronics.
The new screening process is already in place at 10 airports across the U.S., including Boise Airport, Colorado Springs Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Logan International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, McCarran International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The change will eventually go into effect at all U.S. airports and will be implemented “in the weeks and months ahead” as a means of addressing what the TSA calls “an increased threat to aviation security” and “raise the baseline for aviation security worldwide.”
While most travelers will be affected, those with a TSA Precheck membership—which costs $85 for a five-year period—are exempt from the policy change while going through the TSA Precheck lane.
Read: What Can I Take On A Plane? Royal Jordanian Bans Most Electronics
“It is critical for TSA to constantly enhance and adjust security screening procedures to stay ahead of evolving threats and keep passengers safe," TSA acting administrator Huban A. Gowadia said in a statement.
"By separating personal electronic items such as laptops, tablets, e-readers and handheld game consoles for screening, TSA officers can more closely focus on resolving alarms and stopping terror threats.”
While the stricter screening process for electronics is designed to ensure the safety of travelers, it will likely also add to the time it takes to get through security checks. With additional bins required for smaller electronic devices, more scans and checks will have to be performed, meaning longer waits at TSA checkpoints.
The policy change on electronics comes less than a week after the Trump administration pulled its laptop ban policy that prevented passengers flying into the U.S. from 10 airports in majority-Muslim countries from traveling with laptops and other large electronic devices in their carry-on luggage.
Earlier this year the TSA began testing new scanning technology that would produce 3D images similar to those of CT scans. By producing a clearer image of what is inside a bag, the scanners could help reduce time spent scanning device and completely secondary checks on items within a passenger’s bag.
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