What the TSA electronics screening change means for you

Bart Jansen
USA TODAY
A Transportation Security Administration officer handles a bag for secondary screening at a new checkpoint with automated screening lanes at Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport  in Queens, New York, on May 17, 2017.

The Transportation Security Administration announced Wednesday that officers want to take a closer look at electronics in carry-on bags, after hearing about terrorists getting better at hiding explosives.

Here's what the change means for you:

How is screening changing?

At regular checkpoint lanes, TSA officers will ask travelers to remove all electronics larger than cellphones from carry-on bags and place them in bins for X-ray screening.

Nothing changes for Precheck lanes, where laptops already remain in bags because travelers have provided more information about themselves to TSA.

Why bother looking at electronics one at a time?

Security experts say the clutter in bags sometimes makes it difficult to spot suspicious objects. By placing electronics in a separate bin, the goal is for officers to get a better look at each device — and the possible threats inside.

Won’t this slow down checkpoint lines?

TSA will station officers in front of X-ray machines to recommend how best to arrange electronics for screening. TSA has already tested the process at 10 airports: Boise, Boston, Colorado Springs, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Lubbock, San Juan and Phoenix.

When is it coming to other airports?

TSA will phase in the process at all U.S. airports in the coming months, as workers are trained, so as not to hinder lines.

Why the extra scrutiny?

John Kelly, secretary of Homeland Security, said intelligence suggests terrorists have found better ways to hide explosives in electronics. Rather than play whack-a-mole with each new threat, Kelly said he is raising the baseline for aviation security worldwide.