You know that long security screening line at the airport? It’s about to get longer.
New Screening Process
On Wednesday, the TSA announced that they’re expanding an “enhanced screening” program they’re currently piloting at 10 airports. The new screening procedure requires any electronic device larger than a cell phone to be screened separately. That means you’ll have to take all of these devices out of your back and run them through individually. And, of course, that means the screening process will take longer.
Many of you, however, may already be familiar with this new process. Those 10 airports they’ve been piloting the process at are a rather diverse bunch… They even include some of our nation’s busiest airports:
- Boise Airport (BOI)
- Colorado Springs Airport (COS)
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB)
- Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
- McCarran International Airport (LAS)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
I wonder when this pilot program actually began, since I passed through security at LAS just a few months ago. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case there, but man is their screening process flawed! But more on that later.
How This Affects You
Obviously, the biggest affect this will have on travelers is time. Security screening will be far more time consuming and cumbersome. Personally, this is my kind of HELL. I travel with my laptop, camera, spare lenses, etc., so this would require me to unload quite a bit from my bag.
And while most don’t carry quite as many electronics as I do, you can bet that a large majority of travelers do carry iPads, Kindles, etc. All of which will need to be fished out of bags, run through the x-ray machine, and put back away. And it’s an issue that will likely continue to get worst as airlines move away from seat-back IFE system and transition to wifi based ones.
How You Can Avoid This Headache
Thankfully, this new rule doesn’t affect TSA Pre-Check members. So if you travel with a lot of electronics and don’t already have TSA Pre-Check, you may want to think about getting it soon. It costs $85 for a 5 year term and entails filling out some documents and letting the government run a background check on you. But, for just $15 more, you can get Global Entry instead. This, to me, is a better bargain, as you’ll get the benefits of Global Entry’s expedited customs clearing AND TSA Pre-Check all in one. It lasts 5 years too, but you do need to have a passport to obtain Global Entry. Plus, many premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve give you a Global Entry statement credit every 5 years, so it’s basically free!
New Electronics Screening Rule Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, outside of the 10 pilot airports, we don’t know when this “enhanced screening” process will take effect. I’m willing to bet sooner than later, though. This largely seems like a continuation of the whole muslim country electronics ban, which now morphed into an enhanced screening requirement for those nations. And I’m sure this isn’t the last airport security change we’ll see in the near future. But like I said, save your sanity and get yourself TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry. Even if you travel just once or twice a year, it’s worth it to avoid the very worst of the security nightmares.