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Things You Should Not Bring on Board

Liquids, Gels, and Aerosols in Carry On Baggage

On 10 August 2006, authorities in the United Kingdom uncovered an alleged plot to sabotage as many as 10 U.S. airliners traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States, reportedly by using liquid and gel based explosives. Since then, U.S. authorities have restricted what liquids and gels a passenger may have in the passenger cabin:

• Passengers may bring into the secure area of the airport liquid and gel products, so long as the items are carried in a clear plastic food storage type bag with a capacity of no more than one quart.
• Each passenger is allowed only one of these quart sized plastic bags.
• These would be items such as shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency.
• Each individual container must have a capacity of no greater than three ounces (90 ml).
• Passengers may not pass through the security screening with gel or beverage containers of greater capacity.
• Once a passenger has passed through security screening, they can purchase any size beverage and other liquid or gel products in the terminal and take them on to the plane.

There are important exceptions to these rules:

• Baby formula, breast milk, prescription medications, and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, or aerosols) can be in containers larger than three ounces, and do not have to be inside of a quart sized plastic bag, but have to be declared at the security checkpoint.
• Solid cosmetics and personal hygiene items such as lipstick in a tube, solid deodorant, lip balm and similar solids. Please remember these items must be solid and not liquid, gel or aerosol.
• Once past the security checkpoint, you are free to buy liquid gel products of any size within the secure areas of the airport terminal and take them on board.
• If you have questions or doubts on about an item, place that item in your checked baggage.

In most cases, liquids and gels that are not allowed in the passenger cabin can be carried in checked baggage. Some items should not be carried on an aircraft in either carry-on or checked baggage because of the danger they represent for the passengers and crew. Many of these items are commonly used at work or in the home, but may become a hazard in flight due to changes in temperature and pressure that can cause items to leak, generate toxic fumes or start a fire. If in doubt, check with your air carrier.

You may bring all prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes. Examples include the following:

• Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition.
• Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs.
• Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids.
• Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.

You are not limited in the amount or volume of these items you may bring in your carry-on baggage. However, if the capacity of the containers for the medically necessary items exceed three ounces (90 ml), or are not contained in a one-quart, zip-top type plastic bag, you must tell one of the screeners at the security checkpoint.

If you are traveling internationally, you should take extra steps to keep your duty free liquids, gels, or aerosols from being confiscated. Visit the Duty Free Issues page for further information.

Items Allowed Only in Checked Baggage

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has prohibited the following items from airplane cabins and carry-on baggage but may (with some exceptions) be carried as checked baggage:

Sporting Goods: Bats (baseball, softball, cricket), hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, bows and arrows, ski poles and spear guns golf clubs, and pool cues.

Knives: Knives of any length, composition or description (except for plastic or round bladed butter knives), swords, machetes, and items commonly used in martial arts competitions such as throwing stars.

Cutting Instruments: Most cutting instruments, including carpet knives and box cutters (and spare blades), any device with a folding or retractable blade, ice picks, straight razors, and metal scissors with pointed tips. Small scissors with a cutting edge less than four inches (10 cm) and small tools such as pliers and screwdrivers that are less than seven inches (18 cm) in length are allowed in the cabin.

Firearms: Pistols, flare guns, BB guns, rifles, and other firearms must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in. There are limited exceptions to the firearms and ammunition rules for law enforcement officers. In the United States, federal laws apply to aircraft and to the secure areas of the airport such as the gate areas. State or local laws concerning the carrying of concealed or unconcealed weapons do not apply. Attempting to enter these areas with weapons may lead to your arrest.

Firearm Replicas: Realistic replicas of firearms must be carried as checked baggage. Toy weapons that are not realistic are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage.

Ammunition: Small arms ammunitions for personal use must also be declared to the airline at check-in, and must be securely packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ammunition, if properly packaged, can also be carried in the same hard-sided case as an unloaded firearm. You should check with the airline to see if it has additional restrictions on either firearms or ammunition.

Paintball Guns: Compressed air guns may be carried in checked luggage without the compressed air cylinder attached. Compressed gas cylinders are not allowed on the aircraft.

Tools: Tools greater than seven inches in length can only be carried as checked baggage. Shorter tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers, may be carried in carry-on baggage. If you have a toolbox in checked baggage, make sure you check every compartment to make sure that your toolbox does not have any containers with flammable liquids, box cutters, utility lighters, micro torches, or other banned items.

Dry Ice (frozen carbon dioxide): Up to four pounds (1.8 kg) may be carried on board for packing perishables providing the package is vented

Items Banned from Carry-on or Checked Baggage

The TSA has prohibited the following items from airplane cabins, carry-on baggage, or checked baggage.

Explosives: Flares, gunpowder (including black powder or percussion caps) sparklers, fireworks, grenades or other ordnance, dynamite, blasting caps, dynamite, plastic explosives, or realistic replicas of an explosive.

Lighters and Matches: Torch lighters, lighter fluid, and strike-anywhere matches (one book of safety matches or one common cigarette lighter is allowed as a carry-on item).

Gases and Pressure Containers: Aerosols (with the exception of personal care items or toiletries in limited quantities in containers sized three ounces or smaller), carbon dioxide cartridges, oxygen tanks (scuba or medical), mace, tear gas, pepper spray, self-inflating rafts, and deeply refrigerated gases such as liquid nitrogen.

Flammable Liquids and Solids: Gasoline, propane, butane, and other fuels; lights with flammable reservoirs, strike-anywhere matches, flammable paints, paint thinners, some cleaning solvents, some adhesives, torch lighters (common cigarette lighters are allowed), and lighter fluid. Lighters without fuel are permitted in checked baggage. Lighters with fuel (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. Passengers are allowed either one book of safety (non-strike anywhere) matches or one lighter as a carry-on item only. Personal care items containing flammable liquids such as perfume may be carried in small amounts in carry on baggage and in larger amounts in checked baggage.

Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides: Bleach, nitric acid, fertilizers, swimming pool or spa chemicals, and fiberglass repair kits

Poisons: Weed killers, pesticides, insecticides, rodent poisons, arsenic, and cyanides

Infectious Materials: Medical laboratory specimens, viral organisms, and bacterial cultures

Corrosives: Drain cleaners, car batteries, wet cell batteries, acids, alkalis, lye, and mercury

Organics: Fiberglass resins, peroxides

Radioactive Materials: There are some exceptions for implanted radioactive medical devices. Contact your airline for details on how to ship other radioactive materials

Magnetic Materials: Strong magnets such as those in some loudspeakers and laboratory equipment

Other items: Wet-cell batteries, chemical oxygen generators (either used or unused), or any equipment containing fuel or other flammable liquids.

Declaring Hazardous Materials: If you are in any doubt about whether your item may be hazardous, you should bring it to the attention of either your airline or the security screener. Failure to do so may be a violation of U.S. laws or regulations and can result in either fines or imprisonment.

Related Information

For a more complete list of banned items, as well as a list of items that are allowed either in carry-on baggage or checked baggage, you may download this TSA brochure that was updated in October 2007. Similar information, including illustrations, was provided in an FAA brochure released in August 2007.