TSA’s 5 Holiday Travel Tips to Get Through Security
These are always good tips, but especially important during this time of year.
- Get to the airport early
The Transportation Security Administration, TSA, recommends you arrive at least two hours early if you’re flying domestic and three hours for international travel. So, plan even further ahead. There will be more people on the road, more people parking, more looking for Uber, longer rental car return lines, and people who only travel once a year.
- Use your time in the checkpoint line wisely
Again, always a good idea. While waiting in what may be a long line, empty your pockets and put loose items into your carry-on bag. This will save you time because you won’t have to put small stuff into a TSA bin and then have to empty it on the other side. Get your boarding pass and identification out. Make electronics larger than a cellphone easily accessible. New TSA regs this year require you to put them in a bin with nothing else around them.
- If you are traveling with gifts, don’t wrap them with wrapping paper and tape
Sounds crazy. Right. Though it’s not illegal to bring wrapped gifts through security, they could cause delays. If your bag is flagged during the X-ray screening, officers will need to thoroughly check all items in your bag. That means unwrapping any presents you have. If you need to wrap presents ahead of time, the TSA suggests you use a gift bag or box.
Oh…those snow globes. Guess what? They have liquid. If you’re carrying one as a gift, make sure it contains less than 3.4 liquid ounces.
- Traveling with food items during the holiday is OK
Many people wonder whether they can bring food, and the answer is yes. The TSA has specific guidelines that address this rule. If the food item is a solid, like cookies, pie, or a ham, you can pack it in your carry-on bag. But if the food is spreadable or pourable, then it must contain no more than 3.4 liquid ounces. The agency says if you’re unsure, consider this: If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, pack it in your checked bag.
- Don’t bring along prohibited items
It seems like common sense, but every day the TSA finds banned items that passengers say they mistakenly left in their carry on. It happened to me. I had a corkscrew that had traveled with me for years. It never created a problem…until one time. Something about it TSA didn’t like, or maybe it’s new regs. In any case…don’t put it in your carry on.
Lastly, an extra tip. Though you can’t bring bottled water through security, you can drink it while in line and then refill the bottle on the other side. This will save you a few dollars before you take off.