New TSA Rules May Make Traveling Even More Miserable

Above, be prepared to power up your smartphone or laptop at the TSA checkpoint. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Recently, it has been reported that intelligence intercepted messages that are suggesting an "al Qaeda master bomber" has found a way to conceal explosives in portable electronic devices (such as cell phones and laptop computers) that can evade detection through conventional security screening.

Condé Nast's The Daily Traveler has an article stating that the TSA, in response to this news, will make our international travels a bit more miserable.

They wrote:

If you’re contemplating an international trip this summer, you’ve probably heard that the TSA is cracking down on dead devices—everything from smartphones to laptops—to prevent terrorists from turning a hollowed-out gadget into a bomb. So be prepared to power up your device at security if you’re boarding a transatlantic flight bound for the U.S., or risk having to surrender it if you want to make the flight. But what happens if your smartphone or laptop battery simply died before you got a chance to charge up? Does it land in the trash bin along with those oversized Gatorades and toothpaste tubes?

Personally, my laptops are fairly new and the batteries are in great shape, so powering up at the TSA checkpoint would not present a problem for me. But this may slow down the process quite a bit if most everyone in line ahead of you has smartphones and/or laptops that have to be powered up for inspection.

It appears that international flights across the Pacific to Asia (and back) may not be affected, but I wouldn't count on that.

To read the full article, go here.