WARNING - Snow GLobes on Flights

[LaurieN]

A CM actually told me this back in '09. I hand't even thought of that as a "liquid" at the time silly me. The CM wrapped it very well for me and I put it in my checked bag, got home and it was fine.
Laurie

 

[cme37]

This past July, both my boys brought home two snow globes from the National Aquarium in Baltimore in carry on luggage. I had no idea we got away with something! In DC, my older ds wanted to buy a Washington Monument and the gift shop employee told us that we could only take it home in checked luggage because it was considered a weapon. We put that back, because we only do carry-on now with the baggage fees.

 

[laurie31]

We had a Christmas snowglobe with glitter in the water. It made the most amazing horrific mess when the cat knocked it off. I'm not really keen on bringing more of them into our home. We have actually used the "no snow globes on the plane" thing to keep our DDs from purchasing them in the past.

However, now that they are teens, they know all about this thing called the Post Office, and so that won't fly this trip (no pun intended. ) If they find a snowglobe they just LOVE, we can ship it home. At least if you ship them out of state, you don't have to pay tax.

I was in Washington DC in April '09, and bought a stone vase in the gift shop of one of the Smithsonian museums. The TSA agent pulled the box carefully aside and opened it like it was a bomb. He acted all relieved and said he thought it was a snow globe. I assurred him I wouldn't put water in it until I got home.

However, that thing was HEAVY, and I could have beamed someone in the head with it and done some damage. But at least they wouldn't have gotten wet.

 

[izzy]

Was this CM a bus driver? That is 100% not true we came back with one in our carry on's on 10/3 and have bought the 'regular' silver Mickey wine stopper before and brought it back on the plane, we rarely check bags so I'm pretty sure it was in our carry on's then too.

No bus driver - LOL!!

I was looking to buy one in the World of Disney store, but they didn't have the one I wanted. A CM there told me that I couldn't take it in my carryon. I finally found the one I wanted in the Pantry store at DD, and that CM told me the same thing.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I had a new one the other day. I bought a Mickey wine bottle stopper for one of my friends, and the CM told me to be sure to put it checked luggage as the TSA would confiscate it as a weapon. Glad she said something, because that one would have never crossed my mind!

I was once flying to a wedding, and since gifts couldn't be wrapped, I thought I'd be OK with taking it through security in a gift bag. Well, the TSA stopped us and said that we had to get rid of the "pokey things" that were in the box.

What were these "weapons" they were concerned about?

FONDUE FORKS. We were giving a fondue pot as a gift. We had to take the forks, run back to the ticketing counter, and have them pull our checked bags out for us to put the fondue forks into them.

 

[bytheblood]

This has been the case for years.

 

[aubriee]

If I recall correctly, there are small signs near a lot of the snowglobe displays in some of the shops at WDW that warn guests about this. I know I have seen the signs at the World of Disney near the snowglobes. Pretty sure it has been in place for a while now.

I wish they'd put those signs on other things that can't be taken in carry ons or even checked bags. At Universal there is a store that sells very small cute money trees. I was going to get one for a coworker that loves plants. There is a sign on them saying they can not be taken onto airlines flying to Texas, New Mexico, or California. At WDW last May there was a booth at the Flower Festival that sold the exact same plants. There was no sign on them. I asked the CM manning the booth and she said she didn't think there'd be a problem, but couldn't swear to it. A few days later we were back over at Universal and I stopped back in the same shop I had seen the money trees in before. They still had their sign up. I asked that CM and she said they were required to tell anyone who bought one that they could not be flown to Texas, New Mexico, or California or they would be confiscated by the airlines. It had something to do with them not being allowed in any state that touched Mexico. They wouldn't be a problem if you were flying to any other state though.

 

[Lisa x]

1) Watched CNN this morning (10/11/2011) at 5:40am.
2) The new TSA rule is NO snow globes for carry-ons.
3) They could be filled with explosive liquids.
4) Globes must be
. . . put into checked luggage
. . . shipped separately


Part of story on the CNN website, 10/11/11:
(CNN) -- The sign at the airport was so ridiculous, I thought it was a joke. "Please be advised, snow globes are not allowed through the security checkpoint," it read. That was followed by an image of a snow globe with a Christmas tree on the inside and one of those big red "not allowed" lines going through the middle. Underneath the picture read: "Your safety is our priority."

Thank you for pointing this out again. While it might be 'old' news to some people, I am sure others were not aware and when just thinking of it as a gift and a breakable, it might not even cross their mind that it needs to go in the hold.

Also, with Christmas approaching and the many Christmas snow globes, its a nice little reminder that people may not forget now!

So thanks! Id rather read something like this 10 times over than miss it once!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

got home.

However, that thing was HEAVY, and I could have beamed someone in the head with it and done some damage. But at least they wouldn't have gotten wet.

But hitting someone over the head doesn't blow up a plane or make it possible for someone to take over control of a plane......Please think a bit!

AKK

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our transportation board.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

1) Watched CNN this morning (10/11/2011) at 5:40am.
2) The new TSA rule is NO snow globes for carry-ons.
3) They could be filled with explosive liquids.
4) Globes must be
. . . put into checked luggage
. . . shipped separately


Part of story on the CNN website, 10/11/11:
(CNN) -- The sign at the airport was so ridiculous, I thought it was a joke. "Please be advised, snow globes are not allowed through the security checkpoint," it read. That was followed by an image of a snow globe with a Christmas tree on the inside and one of those big red "not allowed" lines going through the middle. Underneath the picture read: "Your safety is our priority."

This is NEWS??

It's been the rule since they made up the stupid liquid "seive" (It's not a ban. A ban would be complete. ... since literally HUNDREDS of people every day are "exempt" then it's very ineffective IMHO)

And based on earlier posts in this board. Stick it in a cooler and tell the TSA agent you plan to freeze it someday for breat milk! (Just kidding... Hopefully even the TSA would see throught that!)

Have Disney ship them! If you ship them and it breaks you are out of money. If you put in the checked luggage and it breaks MAYBE the airline would reimbruse you but it's a mess. If Disney ships them and they break Disney sends you a new one!

 

[CPT Tripss]

It could be an explosive, but you can check it.

Okay.

Now I feel very safe.

Don't look for logic in what the TSA does.

That liquid could be an explosive so we are going to take it away from you, throw it in this trash can, without testing it, and leave it right here in the screening area until the garbage is taken out several hours later. no danger there if it is explosive.

My favorite was when they banned lighters on the plane, but you could bring three books of matches. The reason: the shoe bomber. The only problem was he attempted to use matches to kight his wet shoes and not a lighter.

I like the way you all think. You really expect the Airport Security Screeners to use logic?

Its very logical, the liquid itself is not explosive but must be mixed with other liquids that either you or an accomplice carries on the plane.

So you you don't have to worry about the garbage exploding.

And yes its a real threat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_bomb_plot

The "liquid bombs" you cite were not binary explosives. If those bombe were constructed and put into luggage, there would have been no mixing needed and they could have exploded in the luggage hold.

The mixing that is required for multipart liquid bombs is much more sophisticated than could be performed easily on a plane. And, the major components are all toxic and would be a problem if just put into a trash can.

Did you know that the main component of the underwear bomber's "bomb" was a powder? Not that I want to encourage them, put TSA doesn't have a problem with flying with powder.

snip

However, that thing was HEAVY, and I could have beamed someone in the head with it and done some damage. But at least they wouldn't have gotten wet.

Laptops are heavy too . . .