As a traveler, you can either argue your case when faced with a screener who insists you dump that fresh bottle of water or simply take steps to avoid any unpleasantness that may ruin the start of that dream vacation or that important client meeting.
Here are a few tips to make the experience a little more pleasant:
- Get a one-quart plastic zipper bag—not a sandwich bag or one of those plastic bags from the produce section of your local grocery store. A quart! And make sure it has as few markings as possible.
- Use brand-name bottles to store your liquids and creams. A lot of people make the mistake of pouring a few ounces of shampoo from a large bottle at home into a smaller plastic or metal bottle without any markings. Bad idea! The one thing a TSA inspector doesn't like to see is something he or she can't immediately identify or relate to. Place your liquids in a brand-name bottle, even if the contents of the bottle do not match the label.
- A lot of people make the mistake of carrying the allotted amount of liquid in a bottle capable of holding an amount of liquid that far exceeds the limit. No good! The container must be capable of holding no more than three ounces, regardless of how much is in it.
- Will you be flying between two non-U.S. cities? If you are flying on a U.S. flag carrier, the rules will actually be more stringent than they are in the U.S. For example, on a recent flight from Tokyo to Singapore on United Airlines, no liquids, creams, lotions, or pastes of any kind, regardless of size or where purchased, were allowed to be hand-carried onto the aircraft.
- Seriously consider checking your bags. No one likes to do this if he or she doesn't have to, but no one should have to deal with the anxiety, inconsistencies, and uncertainties of trying to carry any sort of non-solid item through security...or the second layer of security which exists at most international airports servicing flights to the U.S.
