Skip to navigation Skip to content
click here to view our 'Why' videos

New Policies for Lighters, Electronics, and Breast Milk

For Travelers

Carrying Electronics?  Click here for more information. Torch lighters are banned from carry-ons.

Related Info

In an effort to concentrate resources on detecting explosive threats, TSA will no longer ban common lighters in carry-on luggage as of August 4, 2007. Torch lighters remain banned in carry-ons.

Lifting the lighter ban is consistent with TSA's risk-based approach to aviation security. First and foremost, lighters no longer pose a significant threat. Freeing security officers up from fishing for 22,000 lighters every day (the current number surrendered daily across the country) enables them to focus more on finding explosives, using behavior recognition, conducting random screening procedures and other measures that increase complexity in the system, deterring terrorists. The U.S. is the only country in the world to ban lighters – all other nations, including Israel and the U.K., do not.

chart showing 11 million intercepted lighters in 2006

Lighter Timeline

When dealing with security issues, threats evolve. In aviation, terrorists hijacking and diverting planes was the threat for decades. On 9/11, aircraft were used as weapons, and recent plots have included liquid explosives. Below is a timeline of the evolution of the lighter ban.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bring my lighter onto a plane?  Butane, no.  Common, yes.

Q. Are lighters not a threat anymore?
A. Lighters are not a serious threat. Lifting the ban is a common sense, risk-based security decision. This change allows officers to focus on finding explosives and IED components. TSA collects 22,000 lighters a day.

Q: Why were all lighters banned as carry-on items in the first place?
A. In April of 2005, TSA began enforcing a Congressional mandate to ban common lighters on the secure side of airports or onboard airplanes.

Q. What is a torch lighter?
A. Torch lighters create a thin, needle-like flame that is hotter (reaching 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit) and more intense than those from common lighters. Torch lighters are often used for pipes and cigars, and maintain a consistent stream of air-propelled fire regardless of the angle at which it is held. Torch lighters continue to be banned.

Q. Does your lighter need to be in a baggie since it contains liquid?
A. No. TSA's common-sense approach harmonizes with worldwide standards for lighters.

Q. Why is breast milk not a threat?
A. Breast milk is a medical necessity and it is being classified as such. It must be declared at the checkpoint.

Q. How do you ensure liquid explosives disguised as breast milk or medications are not brought through the checkpoint?
A. Since September 2006, certain liquid medications have been permitted at the checkpoint as long as they are declared to security officers and are subject to additional screening.

Q. Do passengers carrying breast milk need to taste it to prove it is not a liquid explosive?
A. No. We will not ask a traveler to taste breast milk.

Q. What does "additional inspection" of exempt items include?
A. We don't discuss our specific security procedures. Since the liquid ban, passengers have been required to present exempt liquids at the checkpoint to undergo additional scrutiny.

Laptops, Full-size Video Game Consoles and Other Large Electronics

Photo of a video game console

Effective August 4, 2007, laptop computers, full-size video game consoles (for example Playstation®, X-box®, or Nintendo®), full-size DVD players, and video cameras that use video cassettes must be removed from their carrying cases and submitted separately for x-ray screening. Laptop computers and video cameras that use cassettes have long been subject to this policy.

What Needs to be Screened Separately

Small and portable electronic items do not need to be removed from their carrying cases.

Breast Milk

Photo of 3 milk bottles

TSA is also modifying the rules associated with carrying breast milk through security checkpoints. Mothers flying with, and now without, their child will be permitted to bring breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces as long as it is declared for inspection at the security checkpoint.

Breast milk is in the same category as liquid medications. Now, a mother flying without her child will be able to bring breast milk through the checkpoint, provided it is declared prior to screening.