New TSA rules require separate screenings for all electronic devices

Get ready for longer lines at the airport.

Today, the TSA announced strict new screening regulations for carry-on luggage that are sure to give frequent flyers a new spat of headaches.

The agency will now require all domestic travelers to separately check all electronics devices larger than a cell phone as they pass through preflight security screenings.

Most passengers were already required to remove laptops before going through security, but now, they'll have to remove tablets, e-readers, and other large devices so they can be x-rayed separately.

The TSA claims the addition of all electronic devices larger than a cell phone (a very broad, unscientific classification of products) is a "simple step" to give TSA officers a clearer look at the X-rayed images.

The agency also says the screening procedure will be implemented nationwide after successful pilot programs at 10 airports around the country, so there are already an untold number of passengers who have experienced the presumably onerous process.

The new rules only apply to the travelers who fly under the general guidelines, however, so TSA Pre-check members will still be allowed to breeze through security without dragging their electronics out on the scanner. They'll be free to carry as many iPads, Kindles, and Nintendo Switches as they please through the line, without ever grabbing a single bin.

Everyone else will have to pull out their gadgets in front of agency officers, who will supposedly be extra-focused on explaining the new security guidelines to frazzled travelers. The TSA asks that people "organize their carry-on bags and keep them uncluttered to ease the screening process," to which I can only laugh at.

But hey, at least there's no more laptop ban, right? Hopefully, the TSA is stocking up on extra bins.