TSA Banned Items

[CeruleanMoon]

I happened to read a Reader's Digest article today which gave some rather vague mention that certain items have been banned from planes altogether, such as Galaxy 7 phones and one of the Sonicare toothbrushes which was recalled for a battery issue. I have a Samsung Galaxy 5, but it's not labeled clearly anywhere on the phone that that's what it is. Would a TSA agent know the difference? I would hate to have my phone confiscated.

I also use a Sonicare toothbrush, but when I tried to research what the recall issue was and what toothbrushes are banned I found nothing, not on the TSA website, not on the gov't recall website, and not on the toothbrush manufacturer website. Should I leave my electric toothbrush home just in case?

Also wanted to know if anyone has encountered any trouble with TSA on bringing in liquid medications beyond the 3.4 oz limit. TSA says you can but that you must declare it and have it inspected. My son has a 5 oz bottle of allergy meds which he relies on in the spring to control severe seasonal allergies. I would prefer to keep that on me rather than pack it just in case a suitcase were to get lost. But TSA says it could be confiscated at their discretion. I'm hoping that's not too common. I could get a second bottle and probably pack one in each place just to be safe?

So many things to keep track of now! I just want the whole process to go smoothly.

 

[sam_gordon]

I happened to read a Reader's Digest article today which gave some rather vague mention that certain items have been banned from planes altogether, such as Galaxy 7 phones and one of the Sonicare toothbrushes which was recalled for a battery issue. I have a Samsung Galaxy 5, but it's not labeled clearly anywhere on the phone that that's what it is. Would a TSA agent know the difference? I would hate to have my phone confiscated.

I also use a Sonicare toothbrush, but when I tried to research what the recall issue was and what toothbrushes are banned I found nothing, not on the TSA website, not on the gov't recall website, and not on the toothbrush manufacturer website. Should I leave my electric toothbrush home just in case?

Also wanted to know if anyone has encountered any trouble with TSA on bringing in liquid medications beyond the 3.4 oz limit. TSA says you can but that you must declare it and have it inspected. My son has a 5 oz bottle of allergy meds which he relies on in the spring to control severe seasonal allergies. I would prefer to keep that on me rather than pack it just in case a suitcase were to get lost. But TSA says it could be confiscated at their discretion. I'm hoping that's not too common. I could get a second bottle and probably pack one in each place just to be safe?

So many things to keep track of now! I just want the whole process to go smoothly.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7's are the one that were banned from flights. When the phones were in circulation (a year ago), I'm not sure if the TSA was pulling them or who.

 

[sponica]

The galaxy note 7s were banned because they exploded and I'm pretty sure Samsung bricked them. They won't even turn on anymore...so that shouldn't be a problem.

As far as liquid medications, a 5 oz bottle shouldn't be an issue. If it's a prescription, it's definitely not an issue. OTC is something else. What they are probably more interested in avoiding is people bringing their costco sized nyquil on board for a 2 day trip. It's the reasonableness of the amount for the duration of the trip.

 

[sam_gordon]

The galaxy note 7s were banned because they exploded and I'm pretty sure Samsung bricked them. They won't even turn on anymore...so that shouldn't be a problem.

As far as liquid medications, a 5 oz bottle shouldn't be an issue. If it's a prescription, it's definitely not an issue. OTC is something else. What they are probably more interested in avoiding is people bringing their costco sized nyquil on board for a 2 day trip. It's the reasonableness of the amount for the duration of the trip.

How does TSA know what the duration of the trip is?

 

[sponica]

How does TSA know what the duration of the trip is?

I suppose they don't. But unless you're on your toes enough to say you're bringing a boatload of liquid meds for a 30 day excursion somewhere that you can't get more medication...most people will just say 2 days.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

The galaxy note 7s were banned because they exploded and I'm pretty sure Samsung bricked them. They won't even turn on anymore...so that shouldn't be a problem.

That's good to know. Sounds like no worries then.

As far as liquid medications, a 5 oz bottle shouldn't be an issue. If it's a prescription, it's definitely not an issue. OTC is something else. What they are probably more interested in avoiding is people bringing their costco sized nyquil on board for a 2 day trip. It's the reasonableness of the amount for the duration of the trip.

It is in a clearly labeled prescription bottle, so sounds like it should be fine. Ideally I want to walk through with as little interaction/scrutiny as possible!

 

[NotUrsula]

No issues with a Galaxy 5; TSA knows what Note 7's look like, in the event someone actually wanted to bother carrying a bricked phone, LOL.

If you want to get through as easily as possible, and presuming that you don't have Pre-Check, the best thing to do with liquid meds (and BTW, contact lens solution qualifies as a liquid med. Sunscreen does not), is to put them in a baggie marked "Passenger Lastname, Medications" and put the baggie on top of your shoes in a bin. That way there will be no flagging of an oversized bottle by the x-ray tech who might want to have you take it out to see it. You don't HAVE to do this, but I find that being proactive always lessens the TSA hassle factor. (Those who have Pre-Check can normally sail through without bothering with this, but it's not a bad idea to bag meds separately anyway, in case the Pre-Check line is closed when you get to security.) Also, there is no size limit on a baggie containing only meds.

The deal with electric toothbrushes is that they don't want them packed in checked baggage because a) some brands have lithium batteries, and b) they have a tendency to power on by accident when tightly packed against other things. A vibrating checked bag is going to get a LOT of attention from TSA. Carry the toothbrush on with you and you will be fine.

 

[Sadie22]

So I should put my electric toothbrush in its hard case rather than the cloth one.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

Thanks NotUrsula, that's very helpful. I feel much better about navigating this TSA stuff when I have a game plan.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

As others have said the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was banned.
Samsung actually had people bring in their phone and get a different one and I believe after a certain point in time Samsung also made the phones that were not turned back in in operable so people could no long use them so there would no longer be a potential for explosions.

There are also different types of phones in the "Galaxy" series.
For example I have a Galaxy s7 and that is not the same type of phone that was having issues.

Not sure of the toothbrush but if you have the recalled one you probably shouldn't be using it to begin with.
If you don't have the recalled one then go ahead and take it on the plane with you. It shoudln't be an issue.

For the liquid... more than 3.4oz can be taken in your carry on "within reason". a 5oz over the counter or especially prescription medication should not be a problem. You just put it in a separate baggie and let them know you have it and they'll let you know if they want to physically inspect it or put it through the x-ray machine with the rest of your items.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

Yeah, I couldn't find anything even confirming there was a recall on the toothbrush, let alone what model. Not sure if it has a lithium battery. It charges through the wall outlet and the toothbrush itself it sealed up in such a way that it doesn't appear that there is any place to open it from. If I can't find out for sure, I'll just bring our regular brushes.

 

[nacho113]

I happened to read a Reader's Digest article today which gave some rather vague mention that certain items have been banned from planes altogether, such as Galaxy 7 phones and one of the Sonicare toothbrushes which was recalled for a battery issue. I have a Samsung Galaxy 5, but it's not labeled clearly anywhere on the phone that that's what it is. Would a TSA agent know the difference? I would hate to have my phone confiscated.

I also use a Sonicare toothbrush, but when I tried to research what the recall issue was and what toothbrushes are banned I found nothing, not on the TSA website, not on the gov't recall website, and not on the toothbrush manufacturer website. Should I leave my electric toothbrush home just in case?

Also wanted to know if anyone has encountered any trouble with TSA on bringing in liquid medications beyond the 3.4 oz limit. TSA says you can but that you must declare it and have it inspected. My son has a 5 oz bottle of allergy meds which he relies on in the spring to control severe seasonal allergies. I would prefer to keep that on me rather than pack it just in case a suitcase were to get lost. But TSA says it could be confiscated at their discretion. I'm hoping that's not too common. I could get a second bottle and probably pack one in each place just to be safe?

So many things to keep track of now! I just want the whole process to go smoothly.

Oversize liquids (for medical purposes) need to be pulled out of your bag and put in the bin. Put it in it's own bag.
It WILL be pulled after x-ray for inspection and additional screening, but it will be fine to take aboard (provided it doesn't set off an alarm when swabbed)

If you have the affected toothbrush and it has a recall for battery issues, stop using it and take it in for the replacement unit. Lithium Ion battery recalls are not to be taken lightly as was seen with the Galaxy Note phones people have talked about earlier in this thread.
You can check the Philips recall site, but I don't see anything on toothbrushes:
https://www.usa.philips.com/content/B2C/en_US/support-home/recall/philips-recall-actions.html
The only recent thing I see about any recalls on Sonicare is a packaging error in Canada:
http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2017/65208r-eng.php

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Also wanted to know if anyone has encountered any trouble with TSA on bringing in liquid medications beyond the 3.4 oz limit. TSA says you can but that you must declare it and have it inspected. My son has a 5 oz bottle of allergy meds which he relies on in the spring to control severe seasonal allergies. I would prefer to keep that on me rather than pack it just in case a suitcase were to get lost. But TSA says it could be confiscated at their discretion. I'm hoping that's not too common. I could get a second bottle and probably pack one in each place just to be safe?

So many things to keep track of now! I just want the whole process to go smoothly.

Never pack medications that you know you need in a checked bag. Put it in a separate bag and declare it as a medical liquid to TSA when you arrive at the checkpoint. If you're truly worried about it, ask the pharmacy if they can dispense it into two smaller bottles with the correct labels. If you're not forced to use a mail order pharmacy, they should be able to do that for you if you're picking up a new refill/prescription.

 

[bumbershoot]

...one of the Sonicare toothbrushes which was recalled for a battery issue.

This article? https://www.rd.com/advice/travel/tsa-security/

Doesn’t say anything about a recall. It’s just a battery thing.

But did you know that your Sonicare toothbrush could be taken too? According to Marcelia, the spare lithium batteries that come with it have—wait for it—also exploded, so the FAA doesn't allow you to take them into the cabin.

You said there’s no way to open your toothbrush. Therefore you can’t have spare batteries. And why you would bring spare toothbrush batteries on a trip I don’t know, but it doesn’t apply to you.


Reading the actual tsa site or app would be a much better use of your time than this RD drivel imo. Please check out the actual tsa info.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

Thanks everyone. I did check the TSA site and they are very thorough (do people really bring Geiger counters with them on planes?) There are just so many rules and I don't fly very often so it's easy to start getting worried that I might make some mistake that will cost me time or my flight! This trip is the most involved and stressful one that I have planned. I'll try not to worry so much. Sounds like the medication issue should be no problem, as well as the phone and toothbrush.