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New TSA Rules: Charge Your Cellphone and Other Electronic Devices for US-Bound Flights

Written by Wendy L  |  08. July 2014

In an effort to enhance security measures at certain overseas airports and flights bound for the U.S., the Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson issued a statement last week directing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to further screen all electronic devices to ensure they power up.

“Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft,” according to a TSA press release issued on Sunday.

This enhanced security measure is in response to intelligence reports on plots by Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen to target the U.S. where cellphones and other electronic devices may be explosives in disguise.

Passengers will be asked to turn on electronic devices during the screening process by security personnel at some airports, including in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Devices that do not power up will be allowed to charge, but if the device continues to fail to power up after that it may be confiscated.

The new TSA rules leave a lot of questions for passengers, like whether charging stations will be available for devices that fail to power up on the first attempt, if confiscated devices will be returned, the specifics on which countries and airports the new rules apply to, and how long the new policy will be in place.

To avoid any further complications with getting through the security check point for U.S. bound flights, passengers should have all electronic devices fully charged.

[Source: TSA]

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