TSA travel tips: What not to bring through the security checkpoint

PENSACOLA, Fla. ( WKRG ) — Items such as aerosol sprays, razorblades and handheld tools are some of the most common items surrendered at the TSA security checkpoint.

“One thing to clear up is we don’t ever confiscate, that word kind of gets attached to TSA a lot,” TSA regional spokesperson Mark Howell said. “We don’t confiscate, we always give everybody the option, but people don’t want to leave the checkpoint and come back so they end up surrendering it most of the time.”

Travelers can put any item not allowed through security in a checked bag or must surrender the item.

Since the beginning of 2024, Pensacola International Airport TSA has seen 14 firearms at the security checkpoint. That number is down one since this time last year.

Unloaded firearms must be packed in a locked case and declared to the airline before travel. Travelers who do bring firearms to security checkpoints can face serious consequences such as a $15,000 fine recorded as a civil penalty.

“One firearm at a checkpoint is one too many, and we want people to know how to pack it the right way,” Howell said.

Any switchblades or pocketknives must be put in a checked bag. Cats’ eyes for a keychain, brass knuckles and pepper sprays, often used as self-defense tools, must also be in a checked bag, or it will be surrendered at the TSA checkpoint.

Howell advised parents to check children’s bags to ensure no toy guns or small baseball bats are in the carry-on bag.

Visit the TSA website for detailed specifications of items that can and cannot make it through TSA security.

The most popular times at the Pensacola International Airport are spring break and the summer months, June and July, each year. It is recommended to arrive at the airport two hours early before the departure of the flight.

Eight of the 10 busiest days in Pensacola Airport have been recorded since June 1 with Independence Day weekend servicing almost 14,000 travelers through security.

TSA will host a recruiting event on Tuesday, July 16, for those interested in applying for a job with the Transportation Security Office at Pensacola International Airport.

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