Do TSA Rules Require You To Take Off Your Headphones During Screening?

Nobody wants to get yelled at by TSA, but does that mean you can tune them out and leave your headphones on as you move through the checkpoint? Technically, yes. There's no official requirement or guidance from the Transportation Security Administration that says people have to remove their headphones during the screening process. That said, keeping them on still might not be the wisest move.

The agency's published guidance outlines plenty of detailed rules for electronics larger than a cellphone (such as laptops and tablets). Those have to be removed from bags for X-ray screenings in all standard lanes. But all TSA policy says about headphones is that they're permitted in both carry-on and checked luggage. Nothing about the popular item being banned, and nothing about taking them out of your bag, needing to get them scanned, or even needing to take them off before moving through the checkpoint.

Nevertheless, former TSA officer Caleb Harmon-Marshall warns (via Business Insider) that you might just want to take them off for the duration of the screening anyway. After working for about eight years at the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Harmon-Marshall says going no-distractions will help you respond faster to instructions and be more aware of your surroundings.

As a rule, TSA's security procedures are unpredictable for a reason. That way, nobody can anticipate what's going to happen or what they're going to ask you to do at any given moment. It's a security thing, helping them stay two steps ahead of any threat that could come from being able to predict TSA's routine. If it's been a bit since you last traveled, the rules have probably changed. If you leave your headphones on, you might end up holding up the line, getting SSSS marked on your boarding pass, or getting pulled aside for a pat-down because you failed to follow instructions exactly as TSA told you to. 

To play it safe, you're probably fine to leave the headphones on while you wait in lines, but remove them as you approach the Real ID/passport checkpoint and the scanners. It'll probably only leave you without them for a few minutes. If you're adamant about leaving them on until you're told otherwise, at the very least, consider turning the volume down and putting the headphones on hear-through or transparency mode so you can still hear TSA's instructions over whatever it is you're listening to.