Smooth TSA experience

[Melanie the tink fa]

We leave tomorrow and I haven't flown in 12 years. We are flying out of Boston if that makes a difference. My question is What can I do to have a fine time getting thru security, shoes on or off, jewelry on or off? Anything else I might not even be thinking about. We are doing all carry on, medication is clearly marked. This is my last worry about this trip any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

There will be signs to remind you, as well as to specify any additional procedures (some are airport specific and/ or don’t happen all the time. My number one tip to anyone is to pay attention- often there are TSA agents telling you exactly what to do.

Shoes will need to come off before you go through the scanner. Everything (and they mean everything) needs to come out of your pockets before you enter the scanner as well. I don’t wear any jewelry to the airport except my wedding rings (and they have never set anything off and it’s mainly because I forget I’m wearing them). Belts need to come off before the scanner. Any coats/ outerwear usually needs to come off before the scanner. Anyone 12 and under can keep shoes/ light coats on.

I pack my carry-ons with these things in mind- Liquids in your 3-1-1 bag need to be removed (the whole bag placed in a bin). I keep all food together in case TSA is giving the direction to remove it for screening (MCO and BDL out of Hartford have asked on my last 3 flights but not every airport is doing this- I like to be prepared just the same). I put it in a large ziplock bag that can be pulled out and placed in a bin. All electronics larger than a cell phone need to come out and be placed into bins (this may also be airport specific for now but I’ve also been asked at three airports so I just plan on it). I generally keep medications toward the top of the bag in case they have questions (I have never had to remove them, and I have never been asked but I’d rather be prepared than be rummaging to the bottom for some Tylenol so they can see it). Same for powders. Sometimes they want them removed and sometimes they don’t.

 

[Melanie the tink fa]

Thank you. very helpful

 

[shoreward]

In addition to the helpful info from EdnaMarieMode, TSA has some useful info:
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips/travel-checklist

 

[Pmlocke]

What Edna said was golden. The problem most people encounter is when they do not follow instructions. When they say to take everything out of your pockets-take EVERYTHING out of your pockets. Place your laptop and other electronic devices in their own tub-not with clothing or shoes. Follow instructions regarding what can and cannot be taken through security, especially with regards to fluids. This year a woman wanted to bring a case of bottled water. It was confiscated and she was taken to the nice little room off to the side because of her rather boisterous objections and complaints. I have never had any problems because the rules are simple. Follow them and you should be OK as well.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

I'd say just listen to the TSA agents. Ask a question nicely if you need help. I usually fly out of Philly, but flew out of Newark a couple months ago. In Newark, we were told not to remove our shoes or take the toiletries bag out. That's not the case in Philly. (I don't have tsa precheck.) I asked about taking off my watch and the agent said no, it would probably be fine. If I wear jeans, they usually do have me remove my belt.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

What Edna said was golden. The problem most people encounter is when they do not follow instructions. When they say to take everything out of your pockets-take EVERYTHING out of your pockets. Place your laptop and other electronic devices in their own tub-not with clothing or shoes. Follow instructions regarding what can and cannot be taken through security, especially with regards to fluids. This year a woman wanted to bring a case of bottled water. It was confiscated and she was taken to the nice little room off to the side because of her rather boisterous objections and complaints. I have never had any problems because the rules are simple. Follow them and you should be OK as well.

This reminds me of another tip! Cooperate with TSA. Largely they are just trying to do their job. Some are better than others, some are more friendly than others, but overall they do want you to get through the line and onto the plane (in a manner that is safe for everyone). It's okay to ask a question if you don't understand the direction. The key is to be calm and polite, they are generally not trying to hold up your day.

 

[MissManda]

Also- don't forget that the 3:1:1 rules is for liquids, aerosols, gels and paste. The last time that we flew home from Orlando, we had some left over Jif To Go cups and without thinking, I threw them in the carry on bag. I didn't put them in my liquids bag; never even occurred to me to do so (that's what happens when you are exhausted from a fun week!). So....the carry on bag threw off the scanners and the bag and myself were set aside for a more thorough search. We ended up with a super chill TSA guy and he laughed when I asked him if it could be the peanut butter causing the issue. He let me keep my peanut butter because it did meet the size regulations and didn't "take it for himself....like the guy next to him would have"! But he did give me a stern reminder that peanut butter is in fact a paste and should have been in my separate 3:1:1 bag. Oops.

(Funny story- little did I know that my husband had actually thrown a couple of 5 hour energies in my back pack that I was carrying for my personal item. I had no idea they were in there until we got home and I was unpacking. Luckily that didn't set off any alarms- can you imagine had both of my bags had problems! Sheesh! I swear I'm not a rule breaker!!)

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

Also- don't forget that the 3:1:1 rules is for liquids, aerosols, gels and paste. The last time that we flew home from Orlando, we had some left over Jif To Go cups and without thinking, I threw them in the carry on bag. I didn't put them in my liquids bag; never even occurred to me to do so (that's what happens when you are exhausted from a fun week!). So....the carry on bag threw off the scanners and the bag and myself were set aside for a more thorough search. We ended up with a super chill TSA guy and he laughed when I asked him if it could be the peanut butter causing the issue. He let me keep my peanut butter because it did meet the size regulations and didn't "take it for himself....like the guy next to him would have"! But he did give me a stern reminder that peanut butter is in fact a paste and should have been in my separate 3:1:1 bag. Oops.

(Funny story- little did I know that my husband had actually thrown a couple of 5 hour energies in my back pack that I was carrying for my personal item. I had no idea they were in there until we got home and I was unpacking. Luckily that didn't set off any alarms- can you imagine had both of my bags had problems! Sheesh! I swear I'm not a rule breaker!!)

I had a similar encounter myself! When the TSA agent pulled out my bag of toddler snacks he asked "did you bring enough to share with me?" and laughed. If in doubt now, I toss it in the 3-1-1 bag. There's no "penalty" for something being in there that's not technically a liquid/ aerosol/ gel/ paste (but I wouldn't go filling the bag with tons of stuff you know isn't any of those things either).

 

[focusondisney]

One time saver we have found works well for my DH. Instead of putting his belt & cell phone on & putting all his change & keys etc in his pockets when he gets dressed at home, he puts everything in a small zipped area of his backpack. Then he doesn’t have to stop at security, empty the pockets, take his belt off etc. He can just walk thru security, then after he gets thru, he puts the belt, cell phone, loose change & everything else from the zippered area on. We also have our IDs in a very convenient carry on pocket so we can slide it in & out quickly. And if you can wear slide on shoes, that will be very helpful too.

 

[shoreward]

Some people do not realize that you can freeze a substance and bring it on board and thru security without any issues. I sometimes freeze a 16 ounce bottle of water, pour out any liquid that defrosted just before going thru security,and just tell the TSO that I have a frozen bottle of water. That frozen bottle of water is acceptable to bring thru the security checkpoint.

 

[Lumpy1106]

We'd grown used to TSA being pretty miserable in Orlando. On our return in August, sure enough, we get to TSA and it's a mass of humanity as large as any we saw in the parks. It was then that we saw what we call the magic dog. TSA has you leave everything on, hands out of pockets, cell phones put away, and then walks you quickly past a security dog. As long as everyone follows the rules, you can be through there in 15 minutes tops. If people aren't following the instructions or the dog needs a break, all bets are off.

 

[barbliny]

Not for tomorrow, but for next time - since I see belts being mentioned a lot.

My husband purchased an inexpensive belt from Amazon that is TSA compliant that he uses for flying days- no metal (it is an old-school military style web belt with the sliding buckle being made out of plastic).

We fly a lot and he hated taking his belt off for security.

i also heard this tip that really helps me when figuring out what goes in a 3-1-1 bag - lip balm being one of the things that confounded me. If the questionable substance inside the container does not hold it's shape without the container - it is a liquid, gel, aerosol, or paste and goes in the bag. Lip balm can stay in your purse/backpack - lip gloss goes in the bag. And my own personal rule - if in doubt, it goes in the bag!

 

[EACarlson]

Just because a belt doesn't have any metal in it does not mean you will not be told to take it off and put it through the scanner. I purchased a belt called the Frequent Flier from a company called Wilderness. There is no metal anywhere in it, but it is dense enough to set off the mm wave scanners. Found this out the hard way when I flew to WDW in 2017.

 

[pixiedustedme]

We leave tomorrow and I haven't flown in 12 years. We are flying out of Boston if that makes a difference. My question is What can I do to have a fine time getting thru security, shoes on or off, jewelry on or off? Anything else I might not even be thinking about. We are doing all carry on, medication is clearly marked. This is my last worry about this trip any advice would be greatly appreciated

Don't wear a long, full skirt, that might look either like you're hiding something and/or that you think you need to cover up a lot & therefore are possibly a religious fanatic. The only time out of many flights that I ever got patted down was when I wore a long skirt. I later read that this is one red flag for agents, so I never wear them through security anymore.

I now have TSA pre-check, so technically I don't have to take my shoes off, but since I wear shoes with heels & they tend to cause a beep when I go through, I now always just take them off, anyway.

It's really nothing to worry about as long as you're an honest, harmless person. Read the 3-1-1 rules for carry-ons and follow them. Be aware that any food you bring through might slow you down if they test it.

 

[Disneypro1]

I and the family do exactly what we are told by TSA. some airports...like LAX at least every time we have flown back from vacation there...do NOT make you remove shoes..I have found thats different at some airports
CMH in Ohio does. But, if they want me to do whatever...i will. Just want to get to Vacation!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Be aware that each airport can operate slightly differently. TSA also can and does often switch things up though some basics tend to stay the same.

I haven't paid attention in a while at my home airport because I just stopped wearing things with belts when flying but belts were not required to be removed at my airport (and yes this could have changed haven't paid attention to the signs lately). If you did set off the alarm they just pat you down more. The one time and I mean only one time I didn't remove my belt because my husband didn't see the point in me doing it it set off the alarm, like I figured it would, and they just pat me down around my midsection. Not a big deal but just easier to remove the belt lol. Most airports belts are one of the things to be removed. My home airport has also been utilizing metal detector according to my husband more than the full body scanners lately at least when my husband has been flying through.

Wear shoes you can at least get off fairly quickly. Most airports have areas nearby the security area to regroup your stuff after you've gone through it so it's more important to be able to remove the shoes easily. Otherwise just look for signs within the security area. When in doubt ask and be polite. Others have given good advice in regards to liquids; just go to tsa.gov's website to review what counts towards liquids and to ensure your items are under the allowable limit. Your electronic items larger than a cell phone (tablets, e-readers, laptops) would normally go in a tub each by themselves.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

Thankfully I have had smooth TSA experiences. We did have our bags searched twice. Once I had a bottle of Pepto which was sealed and put with the 311 liquids. Im not sure why that triggered a bag search. They allowed the Pepto because its medicine. Another time my DS forgot to take his snacks out of his backpack so it got searched. After the body scan one of my body parts always gets patted down- once my arm, my ankle, my leg. Very random. I have to say all the agents have been nice so I cant complain. Just follow the rules and its all good.

 

[Gary2T]

Not for tomorrow, but for next time - since I see belts being mentioned a lot.

My husband purchased an inexpensive belt from Amazon that is TSA compliant that he uses for flying days- no metal (it is an old-school military style web belt with the sliding buckle being made out of plastic).

Just because a belt doesn't have any metal in it does not mean you will not be told to take it off and put it through the scanner.

I used to wear the no-metal web style belt for flying. Flying out of MCO my last experience (before PreCheck) went like this:

Me: (steps into the body scanner)
TSA: Sir, please remove your belt. (before scanning even started)
Me: There's no metal in it.
TSA: You need to remove your belt.
Me: OK. (removes belt, places it in bin, steps back into scanner and assumes the position)
TSA: Sir, pull up your pants.
Me: That's what the belt was for.
TSA: (dirty look)

I signed DW and myself up for PreCheck the next day. Every time we go through security one of us mentions that it was worth every penny.

 

[L_MD]

Two random experiences that might help you when you're coming back through security after your trip:

1) If you went to Basin and went crazy buying bath salts, and then you put it in your carry-on bag, it WILL be pulled and depending on the TSA agent you get you might have to wait while they pull out a little chemistry set and make sure your bath salts aren't something else. This takes awhile. Now I either a) buy only one tube of bath salts or b) put it in my checked bag.
2) Take off your MagicBand because it will set off the detector if you leave it on your wrist