stc

There is generally an exemption for Duty Free delivered directly to the plane. Ask when you check in and confirm in the Duty Free store.

HugoCH

I had a long-haul to short-haul connection at LHR T4 last night. I kept the business class amenity kit I'd been given on the L/H flight but it was spotted by the screen watcher at the T4 security check and the tiny bottle of mouthwash, the tiny tube of toothpaste, etc. were confiscated.

What I would like to know is why these items were safe to have on board the long-haul flight but dangerous on the short-haul, bearing in mind the following points:
- The items all bore tamper-evident seals which were not broken.
- The quantities involved were far too small to create an explosive device in any meaningful sense.
- Since I was at the security check for transit pax, I could not have reached that point from the landside area - I was necessarily coming off an incoming flight and departing again from the same terminal.

It certainly doesn't make me feel safer knowing that security screeners are wasting their time confiscating tiny tubes of toothpaste. If I were one of the Bad Guys, I'd be really pleased to know that security efforts are focused on such trivial things.

GeorgiaRebel

They are

the cranky banker

I don't suppose any airline has bothered to partner with a cosmetics/personal care company -- like Burt's Bees, Tom's, Palmolive, or similar -- to provide tiny trial-size toothpastes, hand lotions, shampoos, etc. for all passengers. I'd have thought it would be great publicity for the companies, and at least an admission by the airlines that the restrictions are grossly inconvenient for some passengers.

SFOtoORD

A couple quick questions:

- Has anyone found a place to buy 4 oz bottles of saline solution?

- The stuff I use in my hair is basically a thick paste (it says that its "fiber"). The TSA site specifically mentions hair "gel". Anyone think I'll have much chance of getting my stuff onboard in my checked bag?

Boraxo

50/50 if you put the package in your carryon luggage. TSA let a couple of dangerous tubes slide thru the xray machine on my outbound flight, but caught them on the return. (In this case I had actually forgotten about them since they were buried in my dopp kitt.)

95% if you can slip the plastic container into your pockets. Metal detector won't alarm, but you might still get a random secondary inspection if something else does.

FWAAA

Target, Wal-Mart, Ralph's, etc.

They are often the same price as the larger 12 oz bottles (of course) but I've used them for traveling for many years to save space. A cheaper option used to be (if space was no issue) remembering to stop using the larger bottle once it was almost empty - that was perfect for a one or two day trip and the bottle could be tossed prior to the return flight (freeing up room for the inevitable purchases at gift shops, etc). But that option's gone.

Pewit

There was a report on the BBC last night that the UK authorities will be allowing small trolley-bags as carry on *soon* as well as small bottles of liquids such as shampoo. This was the result of an EU agreement which means that other EU countries will also introduce the same restricitons.

freeflyin

FYI-- My 4 ounce bottle-half empty was confiscated at FRA today prior to returning to IAD.

ob1

Any aerosol is banned - does not matter what is in it gel/cream/whatever
If it is physically solid at room temperature - you can take it on. If it looks liquid or gel like then it can't bu YMMV

ob1

[QUOTE=shawbridge]1. Does shaving cream in a can count as an aerosol? There are both regular and gel shaving creams in a can. I assume that the gel shaving cream, even in the can, cannot be taken on board. But can the foamy type of shaving cream?

2. I have the same question as Richard 1148. Does anyone know if solid deoderants like Mitchum (as opposed to roll-ons like Ban or liquid/gels like Right Guard or Gillette) can be taken in a carry-on?
QUOTE]
Sorry if this dupes but connection probelms
Anyway - any aerosol is banned no matter gel, foam or whatever - sorry.
As for deodorant - if the contents are solid at room temperature it is OK, if it looks like or is liquid or gel at room temperature then it is not but as alwasy YMMV

Points Scrounger

TSA @ BOS confiscated my gelstick because it's made of gel even though it's one solid piece. I asked what "solid" deodorant would qualify and was given a vague, mumbled "it's powdery ..." before the "officer" fixed his attention upon my .5 oz of OTC eyedrops, which I was permitted to retain.
The best bet at this point is to carry a trial size with the word SOLID DEODORANT clearly labeled by the manufacturer.

silver springer

Outbound from IAD, the TSA screener looked through my cosmetic bag and never mentioned the mascara and eye liner which I had not considered liquids as such a small volume of color comes out on the brush.

However at LAS, these threatening substances were seized as liquids. If less than 4 oz of saline or personal lubricant can make it through, the liquid in these cosmetics has to be less than one ounce--and very difficult to access....

Richard1148

The solid that I have successfully carried on after being checked is white in color, which I guess is what the TSA meant as powdery. Specifically, it's Suave (I like Pacific Breeze), it's cheap and works well for me.

chels73

My parents returned yesterday from a trip to Spain. They said that the security screening rules varied not only from airport to airport (they had connecting flights to get to Spain) but also within an airport.

They went through 2 screenings at Madrid's airport. At one checkpoint, they were making only men remove their wristwatches. At the other checkpoint, everyone had to do so. At some airports, shoes had to come off. At others, they didn't.

On the return flight (direct from Barcelona to Atlanta), my father mistakenly packed this travel size can of shaving cream into his carry-on luggage. It made it undetected through 2 screenings in Barcelona. Upon arrival in Atlanta, they had to go through more screenings even though that was their final destination. One of the screeners caught the shaving cream and confiscated it at that point.

Now I'm not a frequent traveler and I don't know the international section of the Atlanta airport (perhaps they have no way of confirming that he wouldn't board another flight), but why bother confiscating it from a passenger who had reached his final destination?! They even had to go through more metal detectors (removing shoes, etc.) upon arrival in Atlanta.

Their consensus was that it was frustrating playing the guessing game of what they had to do at each point and that it was never clear what the were looking for. With such randomness, it affects any confidence you could have in the system.

Oh yes! They also commented on the TSA employees at the Atlanta airport who basically barked commands and weren't capable of logical thought.