The MyTSA App: Want TSA information anywhere,
anytime? Use the MyTSA app. Among the great features, there’s a “Can I
Bring My…” tool. Want to know if you can pack a turducken or a light saber?
This is the tool for you. Type in the name of the item you’re curious about and
it tells you if the item is permitted or not, along with packing tips. This
isn’t a Magic 8 Ball, so please don’t expect it to prophetically answer yes and
no questions. A wait time feature is also available. It relies on crowd sourcing, which
means the more people who use it, the better.
Foods: Cakes, pies, bread, donuts, turkeys, etc., are all permitted. Here is a list of
items that should be placed in your checked bags or shipped: cranberry
sauce, creamy dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.), gift baskets
with liquid or gel food items (salsa, jams and salad dressings), gravy, jams,
jellies, maple syrup, oils and vinegars, sauces, soups, wine, liquor and beer.
As I said in last year’s post, contrary to popular belief, fruitcake is a
delicious edible and permitted cake, not a WMD. 
Risk Based
Expedited Screening: TSA
has implemented TSA Pre✓™, an expedited prescreening
initiative for known travelers, active
duty service members and airline crewmembers at select airports, and
modified procedures for screening passengers 12 and under
and 75
and older to reduce, although not eliminate, the need for a pat-down. TSA
Pre✓™ is currently available at 35
airports. Expanded Use of Canines: To further enhance explosive detection screening, TSA is expanding its use of canine teams and deploying them throughout the airport environment, including the security checkpoint. These teams are trained to detect trace amounts of explosives that are present in the air.
Shaving Razors: You can get more info from our blog post on this subject where the pictures will answer all of your questions.
Wrapped gifts
are allowed, but not encouraged: Wrapped
gifts are allowed, but we recommend waiting until you land to wrap them.
If there’s something in the gift that needs to be inspected, we may have to
open it. Our officers try their best not to mangle the gift wrap, but it’s not
a guarantee and it also slows down the line for everybody else when we have to
do this. We’d rather unwrap the gifts that are under our trees.
Eggnog can be an alternate to fuel depending on
who’s mixing it. Sometimes there’s a fine line between a beverage and hazmat.
Just sayin’…Remember the 3.4
oz baggie rule at the checkpoint. Unless it’s in small container (3.4 oz or
less), this tasty liquid treat is not allowed.
- Beverages: Wine, liquor, beer, and all of your favorite beverages are permitted in your checked baggage. You can also bring beverages packaged in 3.4 oz or less bottles in your carry-on bags in the allowed in the 3.4 oz baggie.
- Makeup: Any liquid makeup cosmetics such as eyeliner, nail polish, liquid foundation, etc., should be placed in the baggie. That goes for perfume as well. Powder makeup is fine.
- Deodorant: Stick deodorant is not limited to 3.4 oz or less, but gel or spray deodorant is.
- Gel Inserts for shoes are permitted.
Homemade Soda Machines and Other Gifts with Compressed Gas (CO2) Cartridges: If you’re planning to take a homemade soda making machine on an airplane, be advised that they include CO2 carbinators, which contain compressed gas, to add the fizz to the soda. Compressed gas cylinders are prohibited in both carry-on and checked bags unless the regulator valve is completely disconnected from the cylinder and the cylinder is no longer sealed (i.e. the cylinder has an open end). The type of carbinator in commercial soda making machines do not have this feature. We recommend shipping this item to be safe.
Some Snow
Globes are Permitted Now: TSA
now allows small snow globes in carry-on luggage when packed in a passenger's
plastic 3.4 oz bag. Snow globes that appear to contain less than 3.4 ounces
(approximately tennis-ball size) will be permitted if the entire snow globe,
including the base, is able to fit in the same one clear, plastic, quart-sized,
re-sealable bag as a passenger’s other liquids.
Double Check
Your Bag for Guns: Seriously!!!
It sounds silly, but if you read our Week in Review posts,
you’ll see that our officers find guns every day at checkpoints in the U.S. –
some even loaded. Save yourself the hassle of a bag check, a police interview
and a potential arrest by making sure you leave your gun at home.
Christmas Crackers: Not the kind you eat with a delicious
cheese-ball (My mom makes the best), but the kind that “cracks” when you pull
it apart. They’re really cool and are a part of a lot of people’s Christmas
traditions, but they’re prohibited on aircraft.
TSA Contact
Center: The Contact Center
hours were recently extended and a representative is now available Monday –
Friday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. Eastern time; weekends and federal holidays, 9 a.m. –
8 p.m. Eastern time. The TCC can be reached at 866-289-9673. Passengers can
also reach out to the TSA
Contact Center (TCC) with questions about TSA procedures, upcoming travel
or to provide feedback or voice concerns. Unfortunately, we can’t assist with
questions related to preparing a turkey or any other delicious holiday staples.
TSA Cares
Helpline: Travelers or
families of passengers with disabilities and medical conditions may call the TSA
Cares helpline toll free 855-787-2227, 72 hours prior to traveling with any
questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the
security checkpoint. A TSA Cares helpline representative is available during
all TSA Contact Center hours.
Christmas
Sweaters: As I said in
last year’s post, while some Christmas sweaters can have a nauseating
effect on passengers, they are currently permitted through TSA checkpoints.
After searching the web for my favorite Christmas sweater pic this year, I
had to go with this one.
Follow us on
Twitter for travel tips,
blog post announcements, and other useful information. You can find a list of
our national and regional twitter accounts here. Also, be sure to
print out this handy travel
checklist prior to packing.
You can also visit TSA.gov and read our "What to Know Before You Go" page for even more travel tips.
We hope these tips help improve your travel over the full Winter Holiday Travel period.
We hope these tips help improve your travel over the full Winter Holiday Travel period.
If
you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you
can contact us by clicking here.
