curunir

I tried to bring a Zippo lighter aboard in Burbank but they said whoa at the security screening. I must have looked suspicious because I was sweating like a fat pig. Consequently, I mailed the lighter to myself with the help of a concessionaire at the airport. After that I went through security again only to have missed my plane, no big deal, I wanted to miss my staff meeting anyway. I decided to not go through with all my stuff a third time and had plenty of time to check my suitcase so I did. Upon landing in Sacramento, I found that TSA had broken off both my zipper pulls when they searched the bag, there was no lock on the bag. My question is this, did they do this on purpose and is there any recourse?

ob1

Recent experiences wiht shaving foam per the latest rules - small aerosol shaving foam in the clear baggie they insiit on is OK
Gel deodorant not
SOlid stick deodorant OK (but see previosu posts that suggest YMMV)

BluMing

I'm flying from AMS-CVG with layover in IAD. I read thru all the posts briefly and did not see my question so figured I would go ahead and ask to see if anyone has suggestions. After reading the TSA page, I understand taking prescription med is ok in your carry-on as long as it is all labeled with your name.I also carry a medical need form from my Dr. My concern is that I need to take some narcotics in vials that are liquid for my condition.I don't want to pack them in carry on for fear they will get stolen. I can pack the syringes in my check-in, no problem, but I do wonder about my medicine. Also they don't make ziplok bags here in Holland. What do you do in a case like that? My other meds won't all fit into a 1-quart ziplok bag even if I did have one. Wonder what you do in a case like that? I also have to travel with an urn of ashes from my daughters cat. I have no idea how or where to address that and if they would think its gunpowder? I would hate for them to open the urn and go through the contents. Has anyone had expereince with any of this?
I want to avoid any stress and be prepared for any encounter, or at least try to. I am not sure what security is like in IAD and I figure that will be the place I am questioned if there are any. Thanks in advance for any advice others could share!

Loren Pechtel

More likely it was damaged by baggage handling. The lock caught on something and the weakest point was the attachment of the zippper handles to the zipper.

ob1

There are two issues here - one is narcotics - you will need very clear labelling and original notes form your doctor showing they are your medications and labelled to your name (make sure it matches exactly your name on passport, tickets etc). You will need this for going through security but also for customs and you must declare these narcotics.
From a security stand point you will be allowed to take a "reasonable amount on" - this can be defined as what you need plus a buffer for your journey so it will depend on dosage etc. So if you need 3 vials for the journey carrying 5-6 should be OK. Since security does allow for syringes and needles for diabetics - if you need this in flight then you coud take this with you as well but agina you have to prove you need it.
For practical reasons you probably want ot wrap in bubble wrap to prevent them breaking

Ziplok bags - clear plastic bag wiht a reseable top. THey are probable under another name in the Netherlands. Here's a picture
Zip Lock Bags
Failing that clear plastic bag will do. The 1 quart limit is for other stuff - they limit medicine to what you need on flight so if you need more space then get a bigger bag

If possible put it in checked luggage - avoid the aggrevation - it is unpredictable how they will react. If not they will x-ray and you shoudl explain (my guess is human remains will be treated with more reverence than animal remains....) and assumign there is nothing to see you shoud be OK but it just depends..... they removed green tea from a bag labelled Gunpowder Tea in LHR I think and put that in a seperate bag - the words "Gunpowder Tea" on the base were the offendign problem.....!

Hope this helps

myrgirl

NO! Please don't put the ashes in your checked bag. Ashes will most definately alarm the baggage machines and then they've got to search your bag....

Here's my suggestion. Carry the ashes with you and when you approach the xray, tell them that you have cremated remains. The proper procedure is to clear the belt so that nothing can smash into the container and then xray it. If it appears too dark inside, a good trick is to toss a couple of coins underneath the container. If I can see the coins then I know I'm actually seeing all the way through the container and contents.

FliesWay2Much

I recall there was a fairly lengthy discussion about transporting ashes here on FT. As usual, it started out by someone posting a horror story about some less-than-stellar judgment from the TSA side of the conveyor belt -- I think it was something about a screener opening an urn and spilling a portion of the loved one -- and included some words from Bart and other TSAers about how the TSA is supposed to handle ashes. I think there's something on the TSA website specifically addressing ashes.

BluMing

Thanks very much for your and myrgirl's suggestions. The bubble wrap is a great suggestion, as well as the coins under the urn. Do I just declare the medications and urn to security as soon as I walk up? I will not have anything to put in a plastic bag. I decided to pack the things that would go in the bag in my checked luggage. I probably won't need any narcotics on the plane, but I sure as heck would not want to pack them in my checked luggage either. I would be afraid that somebody would steal my medicine. I will be gone for 2 mo. so my Dr.'s suggestion was to take enough medicine to get me by until I get back. It is all labeled with my name and I also have a print out from the pharmacy here called a medical passport. Everything matches. I don't mind packing my syringes though. I would think with the medical passport and all meds labeled accordingly, it would be enough. I was even thinking about calling my Dr. and seeing if she would write a brief letter in english explaining that I am under her care for which medications she has prescribed. It is sometimes difficult to get the Dr.'s office to write things in English. Contrary to what some people think, not all Dutch speak or write English. I really do appreciate everyones answers as it will give me a little time to be better prepared. Thanks again!

BluMing

Thanks very much! I'll have a look and see what they suggest.

ob1

>>> was even thinking about calling my Dr. and seeing if she would write a brief letter in english explaining <<<
Excellent idea - if you can I would. As you can see from the discussion above YMMV and "less than stellar judgement" does get in the way. The more you have to back up your needs etc the better IMHO

Fraser

A bit of a daft one. Bought my mother a Yankee Candle and am meeting them in NYC on Friday. Rather short-sighted of me not to think of the security implications

This page says no to 'gel type candles' whatever they are!

This one is more like this:
http://www.jrcrafts.co.uk/usrimage/l_1003372.jpg

My suspicion is no for carry-on. Hopefully yes for checked, then I can give it to her at Xmas next month packing it in a carry on.

myrgirl

Ah, I'm a candle-holic; got 'em everywhere. You have no worries with that candle since it's a regular wax candle. My suggestion would be to pull it out of your carry on and put it where the xray person can see it without having to go through your bag. The reason would be that it would clearly show up as a candle but what kind? That'll save you a bag check. FTR, here's a few examples of gel candles:
http://www.silkytyme.com/wendys.html

KathrynFlyingAway

By hand warmers or heat packs, I mean the small plastic packages that when opened warm up to about 120F (50 degrees C) for a few hours. They're usually packaged for camping, although they're also made as heat packs for pain relief.

Are they allowed in checked luggage?

I'm soon flying to the mountains where it'll be cold, and I usually like to carry hand warmers with me in those temperatures. I'd prefer to bring hand warmers along, rather than have to stop and shop in my destination. My preliminary searches on TSA and the web haven't found anything- the TSA doesn't mention them at all.

Polythene_Pam

Hi Kathryn. Since I haven't heard anything to the contrary, I will be packing handwarmers in my checked luggage on my flight to Europe next week. I'm thinking of printing out info from the manufacturer's website showing the ingredients and that it's harmless, and rubber banding it around the packets, just in case the baggage checker thinks it's something suspicious. I'll report back on how I make out...

ob1

Can't wait to hear the outcome of this...