The arrival of Labor Day weekend brought with it the expected increase in travelers it usually does on an annual basis.
On a positive note, the holiday comes after a summer in which the rate of canceled flights was down 19% compared to the summer of 2022, according to FlightAware.
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Many flights during the long weekend were packed with travelers.
American Airlines (AAL) – Get Free Report had predicted it would carry 3.5 million passengers on about 32,000 flights between Aug. 31 and Sept. 5.
United Airlines (UAL) – Get Free Report said it expected its most busy Labor Day weekend in its history, anticipating 2.8 million passengers during the same days.
The weekend promised to be a busy one for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. This point was emphasized after they stopped a woman from bringing a loaded handgun onto a flight Aug. 30 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, near Washington, D.C.
“Labor Day holiday travel is underway and when travelers bring prohibited or illegal items such as a loaded gun to any of our security checkpoints, it slows down the screening process during a very busy time of year,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, in an Aug. 31 statement.
“When someone shows up with a firearm at the checkpoint, the conveyor belt is stopped until the police arrive and can remove the carry-on bag from the X-ray machine to safely secure the weapon,” the statement continued. “Guns should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage. This is not a new rule. People have not been permitted to carry a gun into the cabin of a plane for decades before TSA even existed.”
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Prohibited items people still try to bring on airplanes
The TSA posted a reminder on X (formerly known as Twitter) about its rules for passengers transporting guns.
“To fly with a gun it has to be unloaded in a locked hard-sided case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter,” wrote Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson. “Airlines transport guns in the belly of the plane so nobody has access to them during a flight.”
.@TSA asks: Do you own a gun? If so, #Barbie will remind you that to fly with a gun it has to be unloaded in a locked hard-sided case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter. Airlines transport guns in the belly of the plane so nobody has access to them during a flight. pic.twitter.com/hiqq3YQh8h
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 29, 2023
Besides guns, other items banned from air travel continue to be issues with which the TSA has to contend.
One example is full-size hygiene products.
“17 years ago this month, TSA limited the amount of liquids, gels & aerosols (LGAs) permitted in carry-on luggage to 100 ml,” Farbstein wrote. “All these years later, travelers still bring full-size LGAs to the security checkpoint where they end up in bins like this for disposal. Let’s do better.”
17 years ago this month, TSA limited the amount of liquids, gels & aerosols (LGAs) permitted in carry-on luggage to 100 ml. All these years later, travelers still bring full-size LGAs to the security checkpoint where they end up in bins like this for disposal. Let's do better. pic.twitter.com/Fe9u6iIZsT
— TSA_Pacific (@TSA_Pacific) August 15, 2023
“Similar items, yet not toiletries, are food items that are liquid or spreadable such as apple sauce, jams/jellies/preserves, canned vegetables with liquid inside the cans, Nutella and peanut butter,” Farbstein said, according to Caroline Tanner of The Points Guy. “These must also adhere to the 3-1-1 liquid rule. Note this also applies to frozen and steamed items, which are also considered liquids.”
“Common examples of prohibited liquids include beverages (such as water bottles, energy drinks, juice, soda and alcohol), hair gel, aftershave, cologne, perfume, shampoo, conditioner, Vaseline, toothpaste and sunblock,” Tanner wrote.
Another regulated item associated with frequent violations is alcohol.
“You might not realize that you can actually bring your own alcohol on a flight — but with several limitations,” Tanner wrote. “Beverages with more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol can be brought in checked bags; each passenger can bring no more than 5 liters (1.3 gallons) of alcohol, and it must remain unopened in its original retail packaging, according to the TSA. You can bring miniature bottles of alcohol in your carry-on but they must be able to comfortably fit in a single quart-size bag.”
“However, federal law prohibits travelers from consuming their own alcohol on board — a flight attendant must serve the alcohol,” Tanner continued. “The Federal Aviation Administration fined a handful of passengers more than $1 million in 2021 for bringing their own alcohol on board, getting drunk and ignoring flight attendants’ instructions.”
Another item not allowed on airplanes is fertilizer. This goes for checked-in luggage as well as carry-on bags.
Fertilizer is deemed a hazardous material because it can be flammable and can be a risk for explosion.
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