Travel Tips from TSA

[bmartin1206]

I am an employee for TSA and am open to questions concerning passenger/baggage screening questions while traveling. So rather than try to hit on everything I will await your questions.
www.tsa.gov can answer many questions concerning prohibited items.

 

[adamg]

I have a disability and I need to take medication. Does the medication have to be in a container with the prescription on it or can I have the pills in a pill box and just carry the prescriptions with me

 

[bmartin1206]

The last official word I got was prescription meds need to be accompanied by a prescription or in the origianal bottle. It's subject to individual interpretation. We often let pill boxes go. It is not TSA's desire to keep folks from their medication as long as something doesn't look out of place at which point we may look for additional proof.

 

[nativetxn]

Thank you so much for offering to answer questions for us. I really appreciate your help.

 

[bunnyfoo]

I know we're not suppose to lock our bags because the locks could be cut in case they need to be searched... Are there plans to put x-ray machines in place so that we can keep our bags locked? I'm worried about things being stolen from my suitcase ...

 

[bmartin1206]

bunnyfoo,

We currently use catscan and x-ray technology to view bag content but unfortunately cannot always determine what exactly is in the bag prompting us to take a look and further investigate for the safety of all. I am prohibited to expain exactly how it works. Having said that once we cut a lock or tie it is to be re-sealed with some sort of tamper evident seal. At our airport we currently re-seal the bags with a plastic tie or tape. Depending on what type of lock we were forced to open.
I would suggest you use the same idea to tie your bag. You can pick them up at any automotive store. Look for wire ties in any automotive dept. .

Brian

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Gonna sound stupid now but what is TSA? Is that meaning all flights everywhere or is that a certain airline or airport?

Just wondering... does the same rule apply on medications like in your purse or in your carry on bags? I often toss a couple of my hydrocodones in my purse "just in case" ever since my back injury from last year (July 2001 I was rearended but also pushed into another stopped vehicle- my back hurts randomly ever since) plus my knees can ache quite a bit after walking for awhile (we still haven't figured out what's wrong with them- just keep getting water in the knee with no known reason so far). So will the confiscate that or what? I would have the prescription bottle of them in my luggage... but not in my small purse or carry on bag probably.

 

[bmartin1206]

TSA is Trasportation Security Administration and is a department with the Dept. of Transportation. We are federal employees as direct by president Bush and are responsible for passenger/baggage screening at all airports for all airlines in the United States. You can learn more at www.tsa.gov.
You medication should not pose a problem but it never hurts to have a prescription available. Our goal is passenger safety with as few "hassles" as possible. We take nothing for granted and remain always vigilent for the safety of the flying public.
Sounds as though the cartilage on your knees needs looked at.

Brian

 

[bunnyfoo]

Thanks for the info Brian! I was also thinking that if I didn't secure the zippers with a lock then they might get caught on something and come open. I know the ties that you're talking about, we use them at work all the time.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Originally posted by bmartin1206
TSA is Trasportation Security Administration and is a department with the Dept. of Transportation. We are federal employees as direct by president Bush and are responsible for passenger/baggage screening at all airports for all airlines in the United States. You can learn more at www.tsa.gov.
You medication should not pose a problem but it never hurts to have a prescription available. Our goal is passenger safety with as few "hassles" as possible. We take nothing for granted and remain always vigilent for the safety of the flying public.
Sounds as though the cartilage on your knees needs looked at.

Brian

Thanks for explaining that and I will check out that website.
I suppose they probably wouldn't even see the one or two pain pills in my purse- they don't exactly go through your change purse inside your wallet- not that I have noticed before! LOL

MRI's have not shown any damage to my knees- that is why they can't figure it out. It started with one and then with the other and although I'm not as thin as I was before having 3 children- I'm definitely not so overweight that it should be causing me knee problems. It started with one, with no known injury and within a few months the other started hurting and swelling up also. Both keep getting water in the knees and removing it and testing it has also not shown the dr a reason for this happening. My only course of action at this time is to do exploratory surgery where he MIGHT find damage that isn't showing on the MRI which then he could fix it... but with 3 young children (one that just weaned from nursing) I haven't gotten around to being able to get that done.

although I suppose I COULD have gotten that done instead of a week to WDW coming up soon. But nah...... HAHAHA

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Ps. do you know how to find out dimensions for maximum size of carry on bags?
If you need to know specifics- I'll be flying out of Dallas,Tx to MCO on Delta. I'm really hoping I will only have to take one bag checked, one bag carry on plus my purse I keep in my lap or under my feet. But I'm worried my "carry on" bag might be a little too big?
TIA if you can help.

 

[SamSam]

This may sound trivial, but it's important to me. I knit all the time and for the last year have been using short wooden circular needles which so far haven't been a problem, but I would love to be able to use my regular knitting needles on flights. They are wood, varying in size from 11" to 14" and diameter of 1/8" to 1/4"; will these be allowed in a carry-on bag? I don't want to chance having them confiscated, so I hate to take them without knowing for sure that they will be allowed.

 

[bmartin1206]

Knitting needles should be allowed to go at this time. You may want to go to the TSA website and print out a copy of items you may carry on. Knitting needles are on that list.

Brian

 

[Straughn]

Our luggage is the hard-sided style made by Samsonite. We have always locked the luggage, which has a built-in lock, not a removable padlock type. We also use a luggage strap to prevent the bags from popping open when mishandled by the airline baggage handlers. Since we cannot use the plastic cable ties to secure the suitcases, can we leave them unlocked, but continue to use the luggage strap? If you need to open a suitcase, will the inspector replace the strap after he is finished?

Thanks!

 

[bmartin1206]

Yes Straughn that is exactly what you should do. If it is necessary to physically inspect inside the bag the screener will resecure as you had it with the strap and or tape. If you'd like a little tamper evident "insurance" wrap some tape around it. If the screener has to remove it they should replace it and therefore should help detour anyone else from opening.
Also remember, no unexposed (anything not developed) film in the checked luggage. The machinery used to xray the bags will ruin the film. They do sell protective bags for film if you must keep it with checked luggage.

Brian

 

[JenniBarra]

Though it is after the fact, I now have a question for you! For our return trip, my husband put all of our dirty clothes (including underwear) in one of our suitcases. It was just my luck that *that* piece of luggage was the one that was hand inspected. We suspect that it may have been because, even though the shoes were on the top, my husband had stuffed socks in them. Anyhow, there was a note inside the case, as I had been told was the protocol, however there was *no* tamper evident seal as I'd read about online/was mentioned in the note inside. What was this seal supposed to have looked like? Thankfully, I know that we didn't lose anything because I did go and count each bra, each pair of socks, etc., but I have to admit I was disappointed that this seal was missing. That was supposed to show no one else subsequently messed with my suitcase, right? (We had used cable ties to lock both suitcases, but, as you can imagine, the suitcase that was inspected has its tie cut off.) Did the seal fall off, or what?

 

[bmartin1206]

Sorry for your disappointment. The US government is slow release money to supply us with the ties necessary. At our airport we were scrounging up tape for awhile to wrap around the bag, then they broke down and bought some plastic ties. However, I suspect it was an oversight on the screeners behalf. The honest answer is so many bags come through that aren't tied and it's relatively busy it just got overlooked. We are so focused on the alarm we sometimes forget we had to cut a tie to check it out. An honest mistake. Glad everything was accounted for...dirty or not.
Socks in shoes would probably not set off the alarm. It could have been anything. If all you had was clothes and shoes then it was likely the shoes alone that caused an alarm.

Brian

 

[JenniBarra]

Thanks for the reply, Brian. That's too bad that the government has created these policies and then not backed them up with the gear required. As for the suitcase, it is odd then that it set the machine off because, yes, the only contents were clothing and two pairs of shoes. (And the shoes were right there on top.)

 

[bmartin1206]

Soon we'll face personel shortages as the flying season begins. My understanding is that Congress will not let go of any money ontinue hiring and training. They seem to feel we are appopriatley staffed. They should come and work for a week then make a decision. I assure you it'd be a more accurate view of what itakes and what is needed. Having said that, we are not sacrificing safety for speed.
The cat scans, among other things, are evaluating mass and density of items in a bag. We can tell they are shoes but we can't always visually see if they have been modified in anyway unless we physically inspect them. The same is true for many other common items we all pack in our bags. It's a new world and we must adjust or be stiffled by fear.

 

[MHopkins2]

We can tell they are shoes but we can't always visually see if they have been modified in anyway unless we physically inspect them.

Good grief. I certainly feel for you if you have to manually inspect every suitcase with shoes in it - that's got to be an enormous percentage. Who doesn't pack shoes??