Things that they took from you at the airport?

[ottawamom]

Anyone know if they allow those glow in the dark necklaces/bracelets. I have some for our upcoming trip. Will they let them through in the checked luggage. Also I was thinking of purchasing a stone sculpture in Epcot (under 10lbs in weight). Will I be allowed to bring that on the plane as a carry on item. I don't really want to put it in the checked luggage.

 

[NookOfTheNorth]

Sanford Airport apparently does not supply those quart sized baggies. My 6 year old was upset that she had left a small bottle of mouthwash in her backpack and was going to have to throw it away. The TSA agent took her sandwich out of a baggie and gave it to her.

 

[bavaria]

I would not rely on ANY airport to provide travellers with bags. While it was kind of the agent at Sanford, consider it very unusual to experience such.

And just for CarolA's delight: this past week my colleague and I went through a deserted TSA checkpoint. The agent admonished her that her 'quart' baggie was too large. My colleague fired back a reply that her 'quart' baggie had been given to her by a TSA agent at Tucson airport......

 

[bavaria]

Anyone know if they allow those glow in the dark necklaces/bracelets. I have some for our upcoming trip. Will they let them through in the checked luggage. Also I was thinking of purchasing a stone sculpture in Epcot (under 10lbs in weight). Will I be allowed to bring that on the plane as a carry on item. I don't really want to put it in the checked luggage.

The restrictions apply to gels and liquids.

 

[lil5tarz]

So they are really being strict about what you are taking and the sizes still?

Yep. Several times I've seen people bring full size (more than 3 oz.)toothpaste or lotion that are less than half full and claim they weigh less than 3 oz. Each time they got their stuff taken away. The container regardless of how full it is must be less than 3 oz. in size.

 

[CarolMN]

I would not rely on ANY airport to provide travellers with bags. While it was kind of the agent at Sanford, consider it very unusual to experience such....(snip).........

I wouldn't count on it either, but the HHH terminal in MSP has had quart baggies for those who need them every time we've flown out of that terminal.

I think it is very nice and smart on their part. Keeps confrontations & explanations & disappointments down. Maybe they do it because the HHH is smaller than the main terminal and a lot of charters use that terminal. Also vacationers are not always as savvy as business travelers or other frequent fliers.

Last time, I was traveling with some meds that came in gel form. I told the TSA agent (pre-screening before the actual security line). He gave me a baggie to put those in - separate from the other baggie that had the lotion and lip balm, etc. The meds went through just fine (as promised on the web site), but I was surprised about them going in a baggie - must be easier to screen that way, I guess.

 

[katerkat]

Food is OK now. The wedding cake top happened the SUNDAY at MDW right after the scare in London in August. We just happened to be flying back from Chicago to Detroit and witnessed that incident. Things have changed since then.

I remember the news right after the ban started, people coming back from Napa throwing away full bottles of wine. THAT was sad!

We've had a pair of full-size scissors taken away. Scarily enough, they are always in DH's flight bag (he can take anything on his plane) so Dallas & Baltimore actually didn't notice them - it wasn't until a second flight from Spokane that they were confiscated.

I've always had lip gloss in my purse without an issue, and I've not had an agent say anything about carrying full/semi-full sippy cups for the toddler. But I did have a teething ring taken away because it had liquid inside.

 

[MEK]

They were handing out those baggies yesterday at Denver International Airport. Yes - asking everyone if they needed one. And most people took them. When she asked me - I said, "no", I have nothing. She said, "Smart!"

BTW - that is the most beautiful and efficient airport I have ever been in. When we originally deplained in Denver, we stopped for a quick bite at McDonald's in the terminal. When we arrived at baggage some 10-15 minutes later, everything was off the carousel and our bags were on a dolly with a porter waiting for us. It was like going into a time warp. Amazing!

 

[irish dancer]

Had a Tide stick confiscated in January. Had completely forgotten about it, TSA agent asked if I had a bag of course I didn't so it went in the garbage. Had lip balm in the same pocket, not even questioned about it.

I just flew through Heathrow and they had a station set up with bags. I was suprised as they didn't have anything like that in Chicago at O'Hare.

 

[PrincessGrandma]

BUT... all of the stuff mentioned above (water, cosmetics, gels, etc.) can be put in checked baggage, right? Only the carryons have restrictions??

 

[bavaria]

correct - restrictions are for carry on items. There ARE restrictions for checked baggage as well, but refer more to hazardous items.

see www.tsa.gov, www.catsa.ca or www.baa.com for the latest updates

 

[goofy4tink]

For those of you concerned about 'foodstuffs' in your carryon....I brought my dd's left over birthday cake back with me in Oct. The server at the GF boxed it up quite nicely. I put it in my carryon bag, no room for anything else!!! The box was about 12''x8''x12''. The cake was pretty sizable. It went through the machine at security, it went backwards, then out again. This happened about 4 times, as I stood there and watched it. The TSA agent called another agent over...they watched it go through again, and again. Finally, they asked if I had a wheel of cheese in there. The cake was about 10'' high and 8'' across, and only had about 1/3 of it gone, so I imagine it looked like a wheel of cheese to them!!! You should have seen all the other people just staring at us. When I explained it was a leftover birthday cake, the TSA agents just laughed. I was afraid they were going to make me open it all up and have to offer them a piece!!
So...basically, food is okay as long as it isn't a gel, or a liquid.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Several people have mentioned how they were forced to dump something that would have been permitted if it were in a bag. Think about this - you have one item, what purpose does the plastic bag serve? Is it a magical property of the plastic?
The whole rationale, if there is one, for the bag is to LIMIT how much liguid/gel you have. It's just plain stupid to enforce the rule for one item!

 

[goofy4tink]

Several people have mentioned how they were forced to dump something that would have been permitted if it were in a bag. Think about this - you have one item, what purpose does the plastic bag serve? Is it a magical property of the plastic?
The whole rationale, if there is one, for the bag is to LIMIT how much liguid/gel you have. It's just plain stupid to enforce the rule for one item!

While I hate to side with the TSA, it is their rule. They want that 3 oz or smaller container in a quart size baggie....that's the bottom line. If it's one thing or 6 things...doesn't matter. They make the rules. While some of us may think a particular rule (or 10) are silly, it doesn't matter.
So...put that one 3 oz container of mouthwash, or conditioner, or shampoo in that quart size baggie. It will make your trip through security a lot easier.

 

[kymma]

I had a jar of jelly taken away at the Atlanta airport. At that time, the tsa web site just said liquids were prohibited so I didn't think twice about taking the jelly with me. Well, the tsa lady took it and threw it away.

 

[bavaria]

I had a jar of jelly taken away at the Atlanta airport. At that time, the tsa web site just said liquids were prohibited so I didn't think twice about taking the jelly with me. Well, the tsa lady took it and threw it away.

it counts as a gel, and was therefore prohibited.

I carry Bath and Bodyworks travel candles in a glass jar with a silver lid, which looks like a jar of jam in my carryon. My CATSA officials at my home airport know me very well, and the ladies enjoy sniffing the new scent every week or so

 

[allisonswonderland]

I am nervous...i wear bare minerals and it is powder make up can they take that? and lipstick is that considered bad??

 

[Bildmouse]

We flew in November after 9-11. My DH is in HVAC and always carried a small (3-4") thermostat wrench in his wallet. They confiscated his little wrench which he had for about 20 years. Not a big deal but there really is very little damage that little wrench could have done!

 

[Disneyolic]

I am nervous...i wear bare minerals and it is powder make up can they take that? and lipstick is that considered bad??

Just to be safe, why don't you put it in a quart size baggie? No big deal as those items are small enough to fit in there.

 

[NotUrsula]

Food is OK now. The wedding cake top happened the SUNDAY at MDW right after the scare in London in August. We just happened to be flying back from Chicago to Detroit and witnessed that incident. Things have changed since then.

There are foods and there are foods. As recently as last Thanksgiving the Cleveland airport made news when they confiscated a dozen pies on the grounds that pie filling has a gel-like consistency. (The ironic part was that they then gave the pies to the USO lounge to give to service personnel as a holiday treat -- so much for dangerous explosive substances.)

Jams and sauces in jars and bottles will not make it through, nor will peanut butter, nor will sauces and condiments, even in tiny packets. (Unless you put the packets into your 3-1-1 baggie, that is.) Solid snack foods will go through, though really large chunks of things like fudge or vacuum packed coffee will be hard to see through on the x-ray, and will cause the bag to be opened and swabbed for explosives.

PS: No modeling-dough-like substances to entertain kids anymore. The stuff looks just like plastic explosive on the scanner.