horse glasses

Literally never use the liquids baggie and routinely have 20+ makeup products with me. I'm sure many of these are considered liquids or gels. I've never been stopped for anything except drinks I've forgotten were in my backpack.

dphmicn

At work there is a group of six ultra marathon runners. They run for charity world wide and yearly raise about $75K. Few years back they ran thru Siberia with some side trips for sightseeing and visits. Flew from USA to eastern Europe, then into Russia. Russia back to eastern Europe. Back in to Russia and then on to the U.S.A> and home.One of them emptying a carry on bag found one of his 9mm practice rounds in the bottom of the bag. The bag had previously been used when he went on competition shoots. We were all amazed that it had not been found by anyone and still razz him about having it loose in the bag to begin with.

DLMIAHVF

honestly, so many things... but it's not like I'm trying to sneak things past - I just forget. I must say, though, that they are really inconsistent in what they take - I had cologne taken away at MIA that they were fine with at FLL, LGA , JFK, HPN... aand AMS & TLV!

LabCat

Probably a half dozen times, all by simply forgetting to clean out my backpack before flying. I'm too much of a chicken to try my luck slipping something past TSA deliberately.

My biggest "offense" was a DCA-(hub)-DEN trip several years ago. On the return in DEN, I got flagged for the unopened mini-sized water bottle I stashed in my backpack from the flight there. Fine, honest mistake, and I tossed it. When I got back to DC and emptied my backpack, I found a 6-inch pair of scissors that I had taken from my work desk for some reason. The scissors went right through security in both DCA and DEN.

Curious that TSA agents are so trained to look for liquids that sometimes the more obvious items go undetected.

javabytes

Same for me. TSA never fails to find those mini Dasani bottles, while repeatedly missing other items.

Baldpacker

I forgot a leatherman with 5" folding knife in my bag when I was coming through security in Yemen (outbound to Dubai). Funny thing is the guy saw it on the x-ray and I convinced him it was in my buddy's bag (behind me) so he searched through his bag while I walked through.

Lots gets missed in Yemen's security screenings, especially in the VIP area, but I guess that's why Dubai always re-screens everyone before their connections.

MtlChris

Put me in the camp of those who have never used the plastic bag for liquid toiletries, including sunscreen, toothpaste, etc.

I have always attributed that to common sense from the screening staff, rather than incompetence tough. Somehow, deep inside, they also as well as us that some of those rules are just for show.

PDXNRTLHR

Last year, I realized upon returning to the US that I had taken my boxknife on a return TATL journey, with a layover in the US both ways. I also once got through with a full bottle of water.

Then again, I once accidentally put twelve tubes of toothpaste in my carry on (long story), and got caught.

arlflyer

Nothing banned, but in my pre-precheck days I literally NEVER pulled out my liquids baggie. Not once. No one ever said anything.

flying_geek

Was flying once with my friend who forgot his hunting knife in his bag - was a 6 or 7 inch blade. He also had two of those tiny 50ml or whatever they are tabasco bottles in the same bag, those were confiscated (it was in the days before you could bring small liquids again)

deadinabsentia

Large amounts of weed. #often.

Exvaris

I often forget my knife in my pockets. It's a Smith & Wesson tactical knife with about a 3.8" blade (just to give you some perspective, so it's not like a boxcutter that is relatively much safer) that I always remind myself to put in my checked baggage but never actually remember to. I use it for work to open and to cut boxes, but it was also a gift from a friend who is a Marine so it has some sentimental value (plus I imagine it isn't cheap) so I never want it to get confiscated.

It has been three separate occasions now, twice through LAX and once through ONT, that I managed to stuff it in my backpack full of electronics and cables and playing cards, and I have gotten it through every time.

It makes me sad actually. On the one hand I'm glad I got it through because I get to keep it, but on the other hand it upsets me that airport security is so lax - no pun intended.

dfwgolfer1

Liquids all the time. The one time I brought a pocket knife, by accident, it was also snatched by TSA.

DebBrown

I have "liquids" in the quart bag but never bother removing it from my backpack. I've never been questioned about it.

Deb

goalie

Back when lighters were banned, I never once had my lighter hiding in plane sight in the front pocket of my jacket taken away nor was the "backup lighter" in the bottom of a deep pocket of the same jacket ever found*


*and the best part of the so called lighter ban was back when the airside smoking patio was still open at LAX T-6 where a TSO came out to smoke on his break and when he lit up with a lighter, I went to the airside portion of the checkpoint and asked for a supervisor to follow me to the smoking patio to report that someone was using a lighter and suffice it to say, the supervisor was none to pleased when I pointed out who the culprit was in front of everyone there