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If you're flying with children in tow, don't wait to get to the airport to learn what you can pack in your luggage and what you cannot.
 Being a Home Economist means artfully spending your time, the most precious resource of all – particularly if you’re in an airport security line carrying children, car seats, and childhood issues that must be nursed with an alcoholic beverage before you travel home for the holidays.
To save a few minutes at the security checkpoint – or perhaps 24 hours in a holding cell —follow these guidelines and glide through the airport.
Say you’ve signed up for a cross-country pot luck dinner and are preparing a dish that simply won’t work without your very own ice pick or a meat cleaver. Fine.
The Department of Transportation security completely understands the concept of holiday traditions. But remember to pack such cutlery in your checked luggage, not on your carry on. Same goes for baseball bats, bows and arrows — and for serious tree-choppers — axes. (See chart below.)
You can’t pack aerosol cans in either carry-on luggage or checked suitcases. But remain calm, as hair sprays – and other personal products —are fine in limited quantities.
As for liquids, they have to be less than 3 ounces but good news, there’s a Breast Milk Exception. Even moms flying without their kids can — after writing an article for this website about how they managed to skip town during the holidays without their kids— bring bottles of milk in larger quantities.
Here’s what you have to do, the TSA says.
1) Separate breast milk from your other liquids and gels.
2) Declare it for inspection at the security checkpoint. It will be examined but neither you nor your child will be asked to taste it — however the security Officers may test it for explosives.
3) Travel with only as much formula, breast milk, or juice in your carry-on needed to reach your destination.
4) Also, you can bring gel or liquid-filled teethers, canned, jarred, or processed baby food in your carry-on baggage and aboard your plane. Curious about other carry on items? See the chart below.
|
Item |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Box Cutters |
No |
Yes |
|
Ice Axes/Ice Picks |
No |
Yes |
|
Knives - except for plastic or round bladed butter knives |
No |
Yes |
|
Meat Cleavers |
No |
Yes |
|
Razor-Type Blades - such as box cutters, utility knives, razor blades not in a cartridge, but excluding safety razors. |
No |
Yes |
|
Sabers |
No |
Yes |
|
Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Swords |
No |
Yes |
|
NOTE: Any sharp objects in checked baggage should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors. |
Sporting Goods
|
Item |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Baseball Bats |
No |
Yes |
|
Bows and Arrows |
No |
Yes |
|
Cricket Bats |
No |
Yes |
|
Golf Clubs |
No |
Yes |
|
Hockey Sticks |
No |
Yes |
|
Lacrosse Sticks |
No |
Yes |
|
Pool Cues |
No |
Yes |
|
Ski Poles |
No |
Yes |
|
Spear Guns |
No |
Yes |
|
|
Guns & Firearms
|
Item |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Ammunition - Check with your airline or travel agent to see if ammunition is permitted in checked baggage on the airline you are flying. If ammunition is permitted, it must be declared to the airline at check-in. Small arms ammunitions for personal use must be securely packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ask about limitations or fees, if any, that apply.
|
No |
Yes |
|
BB guns |
No |
Yes |
|
Compressed Air Guns (to include paintball markers) - Carried in checked luggage without compressed air cylinder attached. |
No |
Yes |
|
Firearms - firearms carried as checked baggage MUST be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in.
|
No |
Yes |
|
Flare Guns - May be carried as checked baggage MUST be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in.
|
No |
Yes |
|
Flares |
No |
No |
|
Gun Lighters |
No |
Yes |
|
Gun Powder including black powder and percussion caps |
No |
No |
|
Parts of Guns and Firearms |
No |
Yes |
|
Pellet Guns |
No |
Yes |
|
Realistic Replicas of Firearms |
No |
Yes |
|
Starter Pistols |
No |
Yes |
|
NOTE: Check with your airline or travel agent to see if firearms are permitted in checked baggage on the airline you are flying. Ask about limitations or fees, if any, that apply. |
Tools
|
Item |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Axes and Hatchets |
No |
Yes |
|
Cattle Prods |
No |
Yes |
|
Crowbars |
No |
Yes |
|
Hammers |
No |
Yes |
|
Drills and drill bits (including cordless portable power drills) |
No |
Yes |
|
Saws (including cordless portable power saws) |
No |
Yes |
|
Tools (greater than seven inches in length) |
No |
Yes |
|
Tools (seven inches or less in length) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Screwdrivers (seven inches or less in length) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Wrenches and Pliers (seven inches or less in length) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
NOTE: Any sharp objects in checked baggage should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and Security Officers. |
Martial Arts & Self Defense Items
|
Item |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Billy Clubs |
No |
Yes |
|
Black Jacks |
No |
Yes |
|
Brass Knuckles |
No |
Yes |
|
Kubatons |
No |
Yes |
|
Mace/Pepper Spray - One 118 ml or 4 Fl. oz. container of mace or pepper spray is permitted in checked baggage provided it is equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent accidental discharge. For more information visitwww.faa.gov., click on Passengers, then Preparing to Fly. |
No |
Yes |
|
Martial Arts Weapons |
No |
Yes |
|
Night Sticks |
No |
Yes |
|
Nunchakus |
No |
Yes |
|
Stun Guns/Shocking Devices |
No |
Yes |
|
Throwing Stars |
No |
Yes |
|
NOTE: Any sharp objects in checked baggage should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and Security Officers. |
Explosive & Flammable Materials, Disabling Chemicals & Other Dangerous Items
|
Explosive Materials |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Blasting Caps |
No |
No |
|
Dynamite |
No |
No |
|
Fireworks |
No |
No |
|
Flares (in any form) |
No |
No |
|
Hand Grenades |
No |
No |
|
Plastic Explosives |
No |
No |
|
Realistic Replicas of Explosives |
No |
No |
|
Flammable Items |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Aerosol (any except for personal care or toiletries in limited quantities) |
No |
No |
|
Fuels (including cooking fuels and any flammable liquid fuel) |
No |
No |
|
Gasoline |
No |
No |
|
Gas Torches |
No |
No |
|
Lighter Fluid |
No |
No |
|
Common Lighters- Lighters without fuel are permitted in checked baggage. Lighters with fuel are prohibited in checked baggage, unless they adhere to the Department of Transportation (DOT) exemption, which allows up to two fueled lighters if properly enclosed in a DOT approved case. If you are uncertain as to whether your lighter is prohibited, please leave it at home. |
Yes |
No |
|
Torch Lighters - Torch lighters create a thin, needle-like flame that is hotter (reaching 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit) and more intense than those from common lighters. Torch lighters are often used for pipes and cigars, and maintain a consistent stream of air-propelled fire regardless of the angle at which it is held. Torch lighters continue to be banned. |
No |
No |
|
Strike-anywhere Matches - Onebook of safety (non-strike anywhere) matches are permitted as carry-on items, but all matches are prohibited in checked baggage. |
No |
No |
|
Flammable Paints (See Other Items below for non-flammable paints) |
No |
No |
|
Turpentine and Paint Thinner |
No |
No |
|
Realistic Replicas of Incendiaries |
No |
No |
|
NOTE: There are other hazardous materials that are regulated by the FAA. This information is summarized atwww.faa.gov, click on Passengers, then Preparing to Fly.
|
|
Disabling Chemicals & Other Dangerous Items |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Chlorine for Pools and Spas |
No |
No |
Small compressed gas cartridges
(Up to 2 in life vests and 2 spares) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Fire extinguishers and other compressed gas cylinders |
No |
No |
|
Liquid Bleach |
No |
No |
|
Spillable Batteries - except those in wheelchairs |
No |
No |
|
Spray Paint |
No |
No |
|
Tear Gas |
No |
No |
|
NOTE: There are other hazardous materials that are regulated by the FAA. This information is summarized atwww.faa.gov. |
Other Items
|
Item |
Carry-on |
Checked |
|
Gel-type candles |
No |
Yes |
|
Gel shoe inserts - Gel shoe inserts are not permitted, but shoes constructed with gel heels are allowed and must be removed and screened.
|
No |
Yes |
|
Non-flammable liquid, gel, or aerosol paint |
Yes - 3 oz. or smaller container |
Yes |
|
Flammable liquid, gel, or aerosol paint |
No |
No |
|
Snow globes and like decorations regardless of size or amount of liquid inside, even with documentation. |
No |
Yes |
Source: Transportation Security Administration
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