Even with the entertainment facilities that are available on flights today, there’s nothing quite like passing the time with a good book.
Whether you’re a diehard bookworm, or just love a bit of light reading on the plane because you can’t seem to find the time anywhere else, packing at least one book into your carry-on luggage is a must.
But, at least in the United States, the Transportation Security Administration are making changes to their security screening process at airports that could change the way you pack your beloved books.
According to the Wall Street Journal baggage screen changes will mean travellers will have to remove any food and electronics larger than a mobile from their bags before going through security and place them into the bins provided.
In an interesting twist, travellers have also been asked to remove their books and even magazines from their carry-on luggage.
10 airports in the United States are testing the new requirements, including Los Angeles International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports.
The TSA have said that the measures have been in the works for years and are not related to the recent electronic bans.
Concerns have been raised about whether this new move could be a privacy issue, leading to security inspecting the public’s reading material.
“Books raise very special privacy issues,” American Civil Liberties Union Senior Policy Analyst Jay Stanley said in a recent blog post.
“There is a long history of special legal protection for the privacy of one’s reading habits in the United States, not only through numerous Supreme Court and other court decisions, but also through state laws that criminalize the violation of public library reading privacy or require a warrant to obtain book sales, rental, or lending records.”
If you are planning to travel through these United States airports soon, be sure to be aware that you may be asked to remove your books from your carry-on and place them into the tubs provided.