I have 11 do’s and don’ts to help you navigate through airport security checkpoints easily and with minimal hassle during the holidays.
The winter holidays are fast approaching. U.S. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. The December holidays will be here before we know it. Year end travel to visit friends and family will soon begin to peak. Airport security checkpoint lines will often be long. Airport personnel will be tired and tempers may be frayed. Travelers will have traverse TSA (Transportation Security Administration) scrutiny in the U.S. and must follow the rules to get through security in order to make their journey as easy as possible.
Here are 11 Do’s and Don’ts to help you get through TSA airport security checkpoints as easily as possible during the holiday season.
More than any other measure, TSA PreCheck and Global Entry membership can help you get through airport security checkpoints more quickly and easily.
Get PreCheck and Global Entry:
While it may be too late to get TSA PreCheck or Global Entry from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the holidays, apply for one of them now. You might get PreCheck approval in time for your holiday journey. PreCheck can help you get through TSA security more easily and quickly. Global Entry for U.S. citizens traveling internationally can not only speed your way through Immigration and Customs when you return, but it also gives members PreCheck privileges for their outgoing flights.
Wrapping gifts before you fly will likely slow you down at TSA security and large snow-globes will be confiscated, while Apple AirTags will help you track down missing bags with holiday gifts in them.
Don’t fly with wrapped holiday gifts:
If you’re bringing holiday presents with you on your flights, don’t wrap them until you get to your destination. I’ve stood in line at TSA security during holiday travel when they’ve opened numerous packages, destroying the wrapping, because they had contents TSA agents couldn’t identify via the x-ray units. Make it easy for TSA at the airport to speed you through their checkpoint.
Do stow a tracking device in your luggage:
Last year, U.S. airlines mishandled approximately 3.7 million bags, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. While my bags weren’t among the 2024 statistics, in prior years they were. Apple AirTags and other GPS locators are permitted in air travelers’ luggage across the globe. I’ve been recommending using Apple AirTags for quite some time. Electronic tracking devices like Apple AirTags can rescue air travelers by locating their luggage and the holiday gifts inside them virtually anywhere in the world. Twice this year, my AirTags in my checked luggage helped me locate them at my destination airport when they came up on a different carousel than announced. I put Apple AirTags in my carry-on luggage, too. You never know when the airline might force you to gate check your carry-ons. Even carry-ons get mishandled and lost.
Don’t pack large snow-globes in your carry-on:
Contrary to popular belief, snow-globes aren’t banned by TSA. Small snow-globes with less than 3.1 ounces of liquid in them are okay in your carry-on luggage if placed in your liquids baggie, but don’t wrap it. If the snow-globe is larger, you must pack it in your checked luggage or better yet, ship it ahead. Of course, if you pack it in your checked luggage it’s highly vulnerable to breakage and ruining your clothing.
Follow the liquids and gel rules as they pertain to holiday foods you’re bringing to friends and family. Rather than carrying bags of gifts on your plane flights, ship them ahead.
Do follow the liquids and gel rules with holiday foods you’re bringing to your destination:
The TSA liquids rule doesn’t just apply to shampoo and toothpaste. It applies to food, too. Forget bringing cranberry sauce and spreadable cheeses in your carry-on, or with it. The TSA liquid rule limits them. Homemade pies and cakes are normally fine, but they will have to pass through x-ray. If you’re not sure about a particular food, check the TSA What Can I Bring – food list.
Don’t think that you’ll get away with carrying bags of gifts, plus your carry-on and personal item:
Just because it’s the holidays, don’t think that TSA or the airlines will suddenly get into the holiday spirit and allow you to carry multiple bags through the airport. The airlines will stick to the rules of one carry-on and one personal item and no additional bags. If you bring bags of presents, you’re still going to have to check your carry-on. Ship the presents ahead and ask that they’re not opened before you arrive.
Pack cordless styling tools in your carry-on luggage:
TSA has new banned items rules. Cordless styling tools can be great presents, however, if they use gas cartridges, butane, lithium metal, or Li-ion batteries, they should be in your carry-on bag. TSA decided that they’re too great of a fire hazard in checked luggage. Even packed in your carry-on bag, the heating element must be stored inside a safety cover, and they must be protected from accidental activation.
Everyone may now keep their shoes on at TSA security. Belts, liquids, and electronics must be put into TSA trays.
Don’t take off your shoes at any TSA checkpoint:
An important perk for TSA pre-check members has been the ability to leave their shoes on at TSA security checkpoints. This holiday season, TSA announced that no passenger needs to remove their shoes. If you’re asked to do so, follow TSA instructions, or you may find yourself further delayed.
Do take your belt off and remove liquids and electronics in regular TSA security lines:
While everyone at TSA checkpoints may keep their shoes on, in the regular TSA security lines you still must remove your belt and pull out your liquids and electronics from your carry-on bags. If you’re a TSA PreCheck member, you can still keep your belt on as well as leave your liquids baggie and electronics in your carry-on bags.
Empty your pockets of metal and cellphones at TSA airport security checkpoints.
Don’t forget to empty your pockets of anything metal, including your cellphone:
Whether in the TSA PreCheck or regular airport security checkpoint line, don’t forget to empty your pockets of anything metal. Also, remove your cell phone from your pocket. And if using a magnetic holster, take that off too. Put them all in a tray with your bag(s).
Do remember to remove the Li-Ion battery from your heated clothing before packing in your checked luggage:
Many travelers will be going to cold-weather areas for skiing. Heated coats, vests, and particularly socks have been steadily gaining in popularity. They all use Li-ion batteries to power the clothing. It’s critical to remove the batteries from the clothing and take them in your carry-on bag. The batteries are prohibited in checked luggage. If found in your checked bag they will be confiscated.
Following these Do’s and Don’ts won’t guarantee a great holiday with friends and family, but they will definitely help you get through airport security checkpoints more easily.
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After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
