What is allowed in carry-on?

[KerriMc]

Ok ... I know this has been talked about before, but to be honest I never really paid much attention as it didn't pertain to me at the time What am I allowed / not allowed to take on the plane? I am looking at snacks/drinks for the kids. Liquids are banned unless bought before boarding? Is this still in effect? What about a little "cup of fruit" (like a Delmonte fruit cup) ... is that ok? My littlest one is bothered by a lot of processed / prepackaged stuff (milk solids, "fake" cheese, etc) ... so I am trying to think of a few things I can take to keep her busy that are allowed. We will be flying out at 10:35 am, so we will be on the plane for lunch, so I need to be sure to have things to eat

Thanks ...
KErri

 

[bavaria]

are you flying out of the US or Canada? the rules differ slightly.

In general, no liquids or gels can pass through security ie no applesauce, liquid in fruit cup, etc. All of that needs to be bought after security (and believe me, I know its tough, as I am vegetarian and often struggle to find food I can eat at an airport, especially very early in the morning)

Any gels or liquids that you do take need to be in an approx 900ml clear baggie (one per traveller) and needs to be under 100ml. Theoretically, your child could take the fruit cup in the baggie, but don't count on the CATSA or TSA agent to let it though - it varies by agent and the colour of their socks

some variations on general rules - CATSA does not allow scissors ie nail scissors; TSA DOES allow them with a blade of 4 inches or less. So visit the appropriate website based on the country from which you are flying

 

[bavaria]

at the Relay! stores in most Canadian airports, I am often limited to granola bars or bags of nuts. I too avoid processed foods so I know the difficulty. Go online and check out your airport terminal map to see what restaurants are there as you may find something. (Even Peak Frean cookies have lard in them, so I can't even find cookies to buy!) And using Nexus, I can't bring ANY food from home at all.

Much as I hate flying through YYZ, a Harvey's veggie burger makes everything better.....

 

[LdnCpl]

A thumbnail of what you can and can't:

Carry-on. Basically any liquids/gels as long as each individual liquid/gel doesn't exceed 3oz(88.72ml) in size. Take as many of those 3oz containers and fit them into a clear quart sealable bag(ie Ziploc freezer bag) as long as the bag will close easily. You can't take a 175ml half used tube of toothpaste and put in the bag and count that as 88.72ml. Anything larger must go in your suitcases and be checked in. A detailed list can be found here:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

 

[bavaria]

I STRONGLY recommend for those travellers flying out of Canada that they do not use the TSA but rather the CATSA site as a reference

http://catsa.ca/english/travel_voyage/list.shtml

There ARE differences, as I pointed out above

 

[KerriMc]

I went and read the website that was posted ... am I able to put a juice box into that 1 quart bag ziploc bag? (these are the gallon baggies correct?) ...

It also says that sandwiches can go in your baggage ... are they meaning the carry-on? I was going to take a pbj for her (picky girl as well here!!) ... or else bagels with cream cheese (if I have place to keep cream cheese cold over night while at our hotel).

Last year what I did for breakfast for the six of us (me, dh, mom, dad, and 2 dd's) was to bring cereal in a plastic container (no-name glad kind) and I bought milk for us at one of the restaurants. We all had our cereal while waiting to board. This time though we need some lunch and I dont' know if I want to buy something on the plane (I have some of the same issues as my little one ... no mayo or butter stuff for me, etc). So I try to avoid food when I dont' know what is on it.

It is so confusing ... maybe this is a sign I should get to bed ...

Thanks for your help ...
Kerri

 

[bavaria]

I went and read the website that was posted ... am I able to put a juice box into that 1 quart bag ziploc bag? (these are the gallon baggies correct?) ...

It also says that sandwiches can go in your baggage ... are they meaning the carry-on? I was going to take a pbj for her (picky girl as well here!!) ... or else bagels with cream cheese (if I have place to keep cream cheese cold over night while at our hotel).

Last year what I did for breakfast for the six of us (me, dh, mom, dad, and 2 dd's) was to bring cereal in a plastic container (no-name glad kind) and I bought milk for us at one of the restaurants. We all had our cereal while waiting to board. This time though we need some lunch and I dont' know if I want to buy something on the plane (I have some of the same issues as my little one ... no mayo or butter stuff for me, etc). So I try to avoid food when I dont' know what is on it.

It is so confusing ... maybe this is a sign I should get to bed ...

Thanks for your help ...
Kerri

no no, a quart size bag is very small - much smaller than a gallon. Did you look at the CATSA site, as it also has metric sizes.

The juice box can go in if it fits lying flat and is under 100ml. Otherwise plan to buy one airside.

Sandwiches can go in your carryon and don't need to go in the baggie. (only one would fit, probably) If they are premade, no issue (although some TSA agents were overzealous last year and didn't allow bagels with cream cheese) If you are bringing packets of anything like PB or mayo, it needs to be smaller than 100ml and fit in the baggie.

One baggie per traveller, and MUCH smaller than a gallon.

 

[bavaria]

I don't think that you mentioned the 'littlest' age - if its under 2, CATSA will cut them a little slack (but NOT necessarily TSA)

Re the bag size

the containers fit comfortably in one clear, closed and resealable plastic bag with a capacity of no more than 1 litre (1 quart). The approximate dimensions of a one litre/quart bag are 15.24 cm by 22.86 cm (6 in. by 9 in.) or 20 cm by 17.5 cm (8 in. by 7 in.). One bag per passenger will be permitted

 

[bavaria]

It is so confusing ... maybe this is a sign I should get to bed ...

Go to your kitchen and pull out the box of sandwich bags - then look at the sizes I listed below. I spend about 9 months/year in the US now and never learned their measuring system (did you know that only 3 countries in the world don't use the metric system??! )

 

[LdnCpl]

Ok - as bavaria pointed out- if you're flying out of Pearson use the CATSA site. Flying out of Detroit or Buffalo you can use the TSA site I posted. I only mentioned the TSA one because it seems a majority of people from Ontario fly out of Buffalo or Detroit as opposed to Pearson. Regarding the drink box... they are 200ml(avg ones are) and therefore you are not allowed to take them through the security as the drink boxes exceed the 88.72ml rule. Regarding the bag...here's what the CATSA site says:

"ALL LIQUIDS/GELS/AEROSOLS must be in containers of 3.4 oz or less and all containers must fit in one clear, closed and resealable plastic bag with a capacity of no more than 1 litre (1 quart). The approximate dimensions of a one litre/quart bag are 15.24 cm by 22.86 cm (6 in. by 9 in.) or 20 cm by 17.5 cm (8 in. by 7 in.)."

Regarding the sandwiches: I would guess that a PB&J would be fine but maybe someone else could chime with with first hand knowledge of this.

If you really want to find out for sure, contact either CATSA or TSA from their 'contact us' box and ask specific questions for specific answers

 

[bavaria]

Seriously, I fly every week around North America and Europe. But if you don't want to trust my word on the sandwiches, I understand....

No matter what the 'official' stated word, an individual agent can and may disallow something. Its up to you if you want to dispute this.

I spend a lot of time speaking with CATSA, TSA and their counterparts in Europe so I do see and hear a lot about what they experience.

 

[amw]

I don't think any juice boxes are under 100 ml so I guess we're out of luck there Does anyone have those mini-baby juice bozes that can confirm the ml-size before I drive to the grocery store for nothing

 

[amw]

Also... as I'm packing as we speak.... my DD4 wants to bring play-doh on the plane. Is that allowed, or is it considered a gel substance

 

[bavaria]

I think that it is borderline - ie subject to interpretation. I CAN tell you however that many of the regular flyers on the Transportation Board are very against PlayDoh on an airplane due to the smell and the mess. Note that smells increase significantly on board an aircraft, so I always advise against bring smelley food, etc.

You are better off not bringing it, in case an overzealous agent takes it away...