For any travelers planning to trot through the airport with food or presents this Thanksgiving, the Transportation Security Administration is sharing tips to ensure your holiday meal and gifts make it through security with ease.
Whether it’s a wine opener or liquid over the 3.4 fluid ounces limit, TSA has some helpful pointers for anyone taking to the skies this holiday season.
A representative for the agency confirmed to ABC News that gifts should not be wrapped.
Instead, they suggest using gift bags as an alternative, because if the TSA uniformed officer needs to physically inspect the contents of the gift, it’s easier to do so when it’s unwrapped.
“When you’re traveling with food for your Thanksgiving feast, remember that while solid food is allowed through security checkpoints, food that includes liquids are not, if they’re larger than 3.4 ounces,” air travel expert Julian Kheel told ABC’s Good Morning America. “This includes canned goods that have liquid in them or Thanksgiving staples like cranberry sauce. So make sure to put anything that can’t make it through security into your checked bag.”
Kheel also said that any other liquids or gels — be it mini bottles of bubbly for toasting or a small jar of homemade jam — should be easily accessible to “get through security more quickly.”
“Have all your liquids already packed in a separate small clear plastic bag inside [a] carry-on,” Kheel suggested. That way someone can easily pull out all the items if need be at the checkpoint. “You can even find TSA-approved bags for liquids — which come with zippers to quickly secure their contents.”