Neil Hughes
In the coming weeks and months, travelers will no longer be able to keep iPads or small MacBook models in their bag when passing through security screenings, and will instead have to place them in a separate bin to be X-rayed, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced on Wednesday.
The TSA says the new rules apply to "all electronics larger than a cell phone." Previously, Apple's ultra-thin iPad, as well as the MacBook Air and 12-inch MacBook, were given approval to stay in a bag when being scanned.
The administration pilot tested its new electronics policy at 10 airports, and says the trial run was successful. As a result, the rules will expand to all U.S. airports in the weeks to come.
The new security requirements are a result of what the TSA characterized as "an increased threat to aviation security."
As has been the standard practice with larger laptops for some time, iPads and smaller MacBooks will need to be removed from a carry-on bag and placed in a bit with nothing on top or below. This helps TSA scanners get a proper view of the insides of the laptop when passing through an X-ray machine.
TSA has also warned that passengers may experience more bag checks because of extensive testing.
"Whether you're flying to, from, or within the United States, TSA is committed to raising the baseline for aviation security by strengthening the overall security of our commercial aviation network to keep flying as a safe option for everyone," said TSA Acting Administrator Huban A. Gowadia.
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33 Comments
These strictures are so random, change all the time, and vary so much from airport to airport (even within the US) that I automatically take my iPad and computer out and put them in a tray, just to save time... even though I have TSA Pre-check!
I have only been allowed to keep my iPad or MB in my bag when I accidentally forgot to remove it and that was years ago. Over the past three years, they make it all come out and if you forget to remove it, heaven help you, it goes back through and you get the body search.
What about TSA Pre people?
More "security theater".
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/11/beyond_security.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=bruce+security+theater&oq=bruce+security+theater
That's been standard for a while in Europe. Brussels, dusseldorf, Dresden and Heathrow have all asked that you do that to any electronic items to be put in a tray for x-ray examination.