As air travel picks up, TSA warns against prohibited items in carry-on bags

The Covid-19 pandemic slowed air travel almost to a near crawl, but the pent-up demand to fly has been picking up and the Transportation Security Administration wants to remind passengers about airport checkpoint protocols in order to avoid long waits, or worse, missed flights.

“There will be lines at these checkpoints,” said Bart Johnson, federal security director for TSA at all New York State airports outside New York City.

Johnson was backed by a small team of TSA agents Tuesday at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga for the reminder.

Two years ago, air travel had declined about 95%.

“Right now, it’s returned to just about normal,” Johnson said.

With the number of air travelers rising, it is important for them to get to the airport 90 minutes to two hours before their flight is scheduled to depart, he said.

Travelers should plan ahead and know exactly what they packed in their carry-on luggage, he added.

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“Start with an empty bag and make certain you do not put any prohibited items in that bag,” Johnson said.

Foremost among prohibited items: explosives, guns, brass knuckles and mace.

“Unfortunately, we get a handgun every once in a while,” Johnson said. “That’s totally unacceptable to carry a weapon through a checkpoint and then try to bring it on a plane.”

He called TSA officers the last line of defense.

“Other things that we encounter are oversized liquids,” Johnson said, pointing to a cart loaded with confiscated canned and bottled beverages, as well as bottles of spreadable condiments, lotions and creams that are not allowed aboard aircraft.

He said passengers should remember the 3-1-1 rule: Each passenger may carry liquids, gels and aerosols in travel-size containers that are 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters, and that each passenger is limited to one quart-size bag of liquids, gels and aerosols.

Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the TSA, added that passengers are often confused as to what constitutes prohibited liquid gels and aerosols.

“If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, it’s a liquid gel or an aerosol,” Farbstein said.

TSA agent Noah Trotta said the biggest problem caused by passengers trying to bring through disallowed items is the backup.

“When one happens, it’s like a domino effect,” Trotta said. “So that when there’s one, there’s going to be five. It backs up the search table. So one person has to wait two minutes. But the fourth or fifth person in line has to wait 10 or 15 minutes because you have to do all the ones in order as we received them.”

That could result in delays that could lead to missed flights.

Christina Thompson, another TSA agent, said there are ways for travelers to check ahead of time to see what items they may or may not bring aboard the plane.

“Honestly, if they have any questions about what to bring and what they shouldn’t bring, the TSA website is a great resource,” Thompson said.

The website is TSA.gov. There is also an app called MyTSA, Farbstein said.