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Tips for Helping Airport Security
Rate it! Votes (0) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Posted October 30th, 2007

The typical American airport experience has been forever altered since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Gone are the carefree days of last minute arrivals, loose carry-on baggage rules and packing anything and everything but the kitchen sink. Heightened airport security measures increase the time needed to check in and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends arriving at the airport two hours before your flight's scheduled departure, earlier of you're traveling with children or persons with disabilities.

By properly preparing for your trip and packing safely and wisely, you not only help our airports and skies stay secure, you help cut down lines and the wait times we all have to endure.

Adult passengers must bring a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, draft card, or passport with you. The name on your ID must match the name on your airline ticket.

Before leaving for the airport, use the following FAA checklist to make sure you don't have any of the following banned items on your person or in carry-on luggage:

• Knives of any length, composition, or description, including pocketknives, carpet knives and box cutters, straight razors, metal scissors, and even ice picks and metal nail files.
• Corkscrews.
• Athletic equipment that could be used as a weapon, such as baseball/softball bats, golf clubs, pool cues, ski poles, and hockey sticks.
• Fireworks - signal flares, sparklers, or other explosives, flammable liquids or solids - fuel, paints, lighter refills and matches.
• Household items - drain cleaners and solvents
• Pressure containers - spray cans, butane fuel, scuba tanks, propane tanks, CO2 cartridges, and self-inflating rafts.
• Weapons - firearms, ammunition, gunpowder, mace, tear gas, or pepper spray. Unloaded firearms may be transported in checked baggage if declared to the agent at check in and packed in a suitable container. Handguns must be in a locked container. Boxed small arms ammunition for personal use may be transported in checked luggage. Allowed amounts may vary depending on the airline.
• Other hazardous materials: dry ice, gasoline-powered tools, wet-cell batteries, camping equipment with fuel, radioactive materials (except limited quantities), poisons, and infectious substances. (Dry ice -- 4 pounds or less-- for packing perishables, may be carried on board an aircraft provided the package is vented.)
• Beware - many common items used everyday in the home or workplace may seem harmless, however, when transported by air, they can be very dangerous. In flight variations in temperature and pressure can cause items to leak, generate toxic fumes or start a fire. Personal care items containing hazardous materials (e.g., flammable perfume, aerosols) totaling no more than 70 ounces may be carried on board. Contents of each container may not exceed 16 fluid ounces.
• Electric wheelchairs must be transported in accordance with airline requirements. The battery may need to be disconnected, removed, and the terminals insulated to prevent short circuits.
• Leave gifts unwrapped. Airline security personnel will open gifts if the X-ray scan cannot determine the contents.
• All liquids must be placed inside a 1 quart plastic bag and you are limited to one bag per son.  This includes things like makeup, perfume, hairspray, eyedrops, etc.
  

More Information:
For more detailed information and Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations, write Federal Aviation Administration;800 Independence Avenue, S.W.; Washington, DCup20591; or visit www.faa.gov.

Customs Information - Know Before You Go, for traveler information visit www.cbp.gov, or write Customs Headquarters; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20229.

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