Clarification on Ice Packs and Empty Bottles

We were very concerned when we learned of the incident in Kauai, Hawaii last week where a passenger was told by one of our Officers that she couldn't bring an ice pack and empty bottles on the plane. She should have been permitted to bring the ice pack and bottles whether the bottles were empty or not since they were for her breast milk.

It was a result of a miscommunication on our end and those involved are going to undergo retraining and corrective actions.

Leadership at that airport has since spoken to the passenger and apologized, but we wanted to take it a few steps further and try to help our advisements at TSA.gov make a little more sense. So we have updated the website to help clarify the procedures for traveling with ice packs, breast milk, juice, and water.

"Additionally, empty bottles and ice packs are permitted..."

If you find yourself in a situation such as this where you're being advised to do something that you feel is incorrect, please ask for a supervisor or manager.

You can also contact TSA through the following channels:

TSA Contact Center: 1-866-289-9673

Talk to TSA

TSA Cares: 1-855-787-2227

Mistakes such as this happen from time to time and for that we are truly sorry. However, we can and have learned from mistakes in the past, so please be sure to let us know when you think or know something could have been handled differently. When it all comes down to it, we're just trying to keep passengers safe.

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team     

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

Viral Video About Body Scanners

A video is making its way around the interwebs this morning from some guy claiming he figured out a way to beat our body scanners (imaging technology).

I watched the video and it is a crude attempt to allegedly show how to circumvent TSA screening procedures.

For obvious security reasons, we can’t discuss our technology's detection capability in detail, however TSA conducts extensive testing of all screening technologies in the laboratory and at airports prior to rolling them out to the entire field. Imaging technology has been extremely effective in the field and has found things artfully concealed on passengers as large as a gun or nonmetallic weapons, on down to a tiny pill or tiny baggies of drugs. It’s one of the best tools available to detect metallic and non-metallic items, such as… you know… things that go BOOM.

With all that said, it is one layer of our 20 layers of security (Behavior Detection, Explosives Detection Canines, Federal Air Marshals, , etc.) and is not a machine that has all the tools we need in one handy device. We’ve never claimed it’s the end all be all.

However, our nation's aviation system is much safer now with the deployment of 600 imaging technology units at 140 airports. It is completely safe and the vast majority use a generic image that completely addresses privacy concerns. Also, keep in mind that is optional. Anybody can opt out of the body scanner for a pat-down. 

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team    

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA. 

Federal Air Marshal Service Celebrates 50 Years!

Last week, the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) celebrated 50 years of service. It was 1961 when then President John F. Kennedy signed an amendment to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to enhance the penalty for interfering with airline crew members. On March 2, 1962, 18 out of 300 FAA safety inspectors graduated and were deputized to help enforce this Act and prevent hijackings. Be sure to check out the timeline reflecting 50 years of history about the FAMS. Congratulations to the FAMS and thank you for continuing to help keep our skies safe.

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team
 

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

TSA Week in Review: 60mm Mortar Round and Other Interesting Finds

“Incoming” Flight: An inert 60mm mortar round used for training was discovered in the checked bag of passenger at El Paso (ELP). The passenger purchased it as a novelty and thought nothing of packing it in his bag. Gives a whole new meaning to “incoming” flight…

Skyrockets in Flight: An M-80 firecracker was found in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Seattle (SEA). Another passenger at Palm Beach (PBI) not only had some M-5000s, but he also had a few rounds of ammo. (See next story) Lastly, a passenger at Los Angeles (LAX) had a mixture of firecrackers and 9mm ammo in his carry-on bag. Did you know that M-80s were developed by the US Military to simulate incoming artillery during training? Just the thing you should bring on a plane!

Cornucopia of Prohibited Items: One passenger at Palm Beach (PBI) had the following items in one of his carry-on bags: Stun gun, double edged dagger, box cutter, package of razor blades, shotgun shell, 3 loose rounds of ammo, and 2 M-5000 firecrackers. (See photo)

Has Neville Flynn Been to EWR: A container of dead venomous snakes were found in checked baggage at Newark (EWR). Updated 3/3/12 to add that dead snakes are not prohibited. The snakes were permitted to travel. The large liquid jar holding the snakes needed to be inspected due to an explosive detection system alarm. No dead snakes were harmed during the making of this post. We just took advantage of the photo op. 

CPAP or C-POW!!!: A .270 caliber and 30-30 round were found inside a CPAP machine (breathing apperatus) in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Orlando (MCO). The passenger stated he keeps the rounds in the machine so he won’t lose them. 

Bombed?: When asked by a ticket agent at Miami (MIA) if he had any liquids in his bag, the passenger responded with “I have liquor and I have a bomb.” I’m guessing liquor may have been the reason for that response. Another passenger at Las Vegas (LAS) thought it would be a good idea to tell our Officer: “I have a bomb” several times before walking through the metal detector.

Stun Pen: I’m not going to use a pun to describe this stun pen that was found at Denver (DEN). Shocking, I know…

Knife Concealed in Binoculars: A knife was found concealed between a pair of binoculars at Rochester (ROC) in a carry-on bag. Trying to conceal something in a device that is designed to reveal things. Brilliant! Well, not really…

The Old Under the Handle Trick: We’ve seen this one several times in the past, and once again, a passenger tried to conceal a knife by taping it underneath the handle of their carry-on bag. This time it was at Kahului (OGG).

Flare-up: Signal flares were discovered in the carry-on bag of a passenger at Reagan Washington National (DCA) – a regular flare, but smaller.

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items: In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also found several stun guns, replica firearms, brass knuckles, knives, knives, and more knives, firearm components, ammunition, and batons.

Firearms: Here are the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.

You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure.

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items in their bag. That’s why it’s important to double check your luggage before you get to the airport.

Including checkpoint and checked baggage screening, TSA has 20 layers of security both visible and invisible to the public. Each one of these layers alone is capable of stopping a terrorist attack. In combination their security value is multiplied, creating a much stronger, formidable system. A terrorist who has to overcome multiple security layers in order to carry out an attack is more likely to be pre-empted, deterred, or to fail during the attempt.

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

TSA Week in Review: Artillery Projectile Fuse?

M557 Projectile Fuse: (See Pic) This is the nosecone fuse used with shells fired out of various guns, howitzers and mortars. Instead of having a detonator, it was filled with wax and used as a training device. Of course, we didn’t know that at first and it didn’t help that it caused our explosive trace detector to alarm. Great job to the team at Salt Lake City (SLC).

Knife Inside Laptop: Similar to when a surgeon stitches a scalpel inside a patient, a computer tech put a computer back together and left his knife inside. You can imagine the passenger’s surprise when our officers at Jacksonville (JAX) discovered it. After all, the passenger had just rented the computer, it wasn’t theirs!

Have I Ever Mentioned That Grenades are Prohibited?: Two inert grenades were discovered at Columbus (CSG) and a live M18 smoke grenade was discovered at Seattle (SEA). If that’s not enough, yet another live smoke grenade was discovered in checked baggage at Colorado Springs (COS). It’s obvious why smoke grenades aren’t allowed, but read here and here  for more information on why inert grenades cause problems at checkpoints.

Somebody Doesn’t Read the TSA Week in Review: Just like the incident I wrote about last week, another passenger attempted to conceal marijuana in a hollowed out peanut butter jar. Just like last week, we found it.

How to Complicate Things: A passenger at Houston (IAH) told an officer: “If I miss my flight, I will come back and strangle you.” The passenger missed their flight. Another passenger, while waiting in line to board his flight at Palm Beach (PBI), told fellow passengers: “Good luck getting on this plane because it’s going down.” It didn’t go down, but it was delayed for 52 minutes affecting 89 passengers.

If at First You Don’t Succeed…:  After a passenger attempted to check an unloaded 9mm in her checked baggage at Norfolk (ORF), she was informed by the airline that she needed a hard-sided lockable case in order to check it properly. (See details on properly checking firearms) Instead of heeding their advice or giving the firearm to her father as she said she would, the passenger attempted to conceal the firearm with other items in her purse. We found it.

Gellin’ Like a Felon?: During additional screening, officers at Denver (DEN) noticed a bulky area under the insole of a shoe and discovered narcotics.

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items: In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our officers also found several stun guns, a throwing star, nunchucks, brass knuckles, realistic firearm replicas, knives, knives, and more knives, firearm components, ammunition, and an expandable baton.

Firearms: Here are the firearms our officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.

You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm permits policies may differ from state to state. Travelers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with state and local weapons and firearm regulations for each point of travel prior to departure.

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items in their bag. That’s why it’s important to double check your luggage before you get to the airport.

Including checkpoint and checked baggage screening, TSA has 20 layers of security both visible and invisible to the public. Each one of these layers alone is capable of stopping a terrorist attack. In combination their security value is multiplied, creating a much stronger, formidable system. A terrorist who has to overcome multiple security layers in order to carry out an attack is more likely to be pre-empted, deterred, or to fail during the attempt.  

Blogger Bob Burns  
TSA Blog Team

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.