CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — It’s a procedure travelers know well: Shoes and belts must be taken off and put on a conveyor belt while going through security checks at the airport.
But now items like phones and tablets that usually could stay in your carry on have to come out and be put in a bin of their own.
"It's amazing what people pack in their bags, how cluttered it is, and how difficult it makes it for these officers to see what's inside that bag and determine if it's a threat," said Bart Johnson, TSA federal security director.
The TSA says new security line procedures were put in place not just to give officers a better look inside bags, but a better look inside devices.
"If you artfully take apart a computer and reconstruct it in a very nefarious way that's what we need to prevent and be aware of to make sure that's not happening," said Johnson.
More officers will be placed in front of the checkpoint X-ray to make sure travelers are following TSA guidelines before they send their belongings through the scanner.
"That will enable these officers to look them right in the eye, engage them in a positive conversation and say have you divested A, B, C, D," said Johnson.
The only other change is shoes. They'll be placed directly on the conveyor belt instead of in a bin.
The TSA says all new rules are in place to make sure travelers are as safe as possible.
"Terrorists are out there. They're dedicated, they're evolving, they're determined, but so is TSA," said Johnson.
While officers are being trained on the new procedures, the TSA anticipates some longer wait times at security lines, so they're putting extra emphasis on arriving 90 minutes before scheduled departure time.