TSA now requires separate screening of devices larger than a smartphone

We’ve been hearing for a while now that TSA would crack down on security regulations for domestic flights in the US, as they’ve already done for international flights both to and from the country. Now it appears as if those same strict regulations will extend to all domestic flights in the future.

TSA officials will now require all electronics larger than a cellphone to be removed from carry-on bags and placed in their own bin for X-Ray screening. That means laptops, tablets, e-readers, and handheld game consoles will all have to be scanned solo. No standard size for “larger than a cellphone” has been clarified, so we’re unsure where those with phablets sit.

As always, TSA is offering exceptions to the rule if you sign up for TSA’s Precheck program. That $85 will cost you a set of fingerprints and your time to register, but you’ll no longer have to remove your large electronic devices from your carry-on luggage.

TSA’s murky language on the size of the device that is subject to these regulations and whether or not certain larger smartphones qualify as tablets will no doubt lead to even longer lines at the airport. What do you think of this change?