Feds remind of barred items ahead of holiday travel season
As the holiday season gears up, the Transportation Security Administration is reminding travelers to stow their weapons, alcohol, and other restricted items in checked luggage instead of carry-on bags before going through airport checkpoints.
Security officials continue to find guns in carry-on bags and travelers are being held accountable.
“They will be facing a hefty fine and possible arrest,” said TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz. “[The trend] is not only troubling but dangerous as most of the guns have been loaded.”
Over the past five years, the total number of firearms confiscated at Florida’s 20 largest airports more than doubled from 228 to 511, officials said.
Through mid-October of this year, 408 guns have been seized statewide, including:
75 guns at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, compared to 72 in all of last year, 28 guns at Miami International Airport, down from 52 last year, 23 guns at Palm Beach International Airport, compared to 32 last year, 99 guns at Orlando International
Airport, up from 94 in all of 2017, leading the state.
Guns are not the only restricted items being taken.
South Florida’s three main airports have collected more than 127,000 pounds of property at checkpoints every year including, knives, brass knuckles, bullets, chainsaws, fireworks, alcoholic beverages, flammable and corrosive chemicals, live animals, bloody animal parts and perfume bottles shaped like hand grenades, Koshetz said.
To get through checkpoints faster, Koshetz recommends emptying pockets and putting cellphones, belts, keys, wallets, and spare change into carry-on bags before being screened.
Computers and other large electronics must be put in bins to be scanned separately.
Large bottles of liquid, including duty free liquor and perfume, should be packed in checked baggage or it will be confiscated at checkpoints.
Signing up for the TSA Precheck program will speed up the process in most cases but additional screening is still possible for some passengers.