15 Surprising Things TSA Allows Past Airport Checkpoints

TSA treats adult beverages with between 24 percent but not more than 70 percent just like other liquids. The bottles must be unopened, be 3.4 ounces or less and fit into a quart-sized bag. But FAA regulations prohibit travelers from drinking their carry-on alcohol unless it's served by a flight attendant.

​TSA recommends that travelers wanting to carry on these items should check with the airline they’re flying to make sure the items will fit under a seat or in an overhead bin. It's also recommended that antlers placed in overhead bins be packed so no one is injured when the bin is opened.

All three items are allowed in "reasonable quantities" in travelers’ carry-on bags, although TSA does not specify how it determines what is reasonable. These items must be removed and screened separately. And parents do not need to have a child with them in order to bring breast milk past the security checkpoint.

As long as the parts don’t have any traces of fuel, the can be stored in a carry-on bag. But TSA recommends that travelers call their airline to make sure the parts fit in the overhead bin or under a seat.

Travelers are allowed to bring a life vest with up to two CO2 cartridges inside, plus two spare cartridges, in a carry-on bag. But be warned: travelers may have to go through a secondary screening and it could be banned if it triggers an alarm during screening.

These items are allowed in a carry-on bag, but again: check with the airline to ensure that the item will fit in the aircraft’s overhead bin or under the seat. And travelers should make sure that whatever they use to keep the food cold is approved by TSA to go past the security checkpoint, including ice and ice gel packs.

Despite their obvious potential as a weapon, TSA allows both of these items in carry-on bags. advises travelers to ensure that their needles are sheathed or securely wrapped when not in use.

In 2005, TSA decided to ban cigarette lighters on planes. Two years later, it reversed that decision, allowing travelers to bring lighters in their carry-on bags. But torch and micro-lighters are still not allowed past security. And lighters with fuel are not allowed in checked bags unless they are enclosed in a DOT-approved case.

TSA allows travelers to pack battery-powered eCigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, atomizers and electronic nicotine delivery systems in a carry-on bag. But it advises making a call to they airlines to ensure they don’t have their own restrictions on these devices. And they can't be used once onboard the plane to comply with FAA's smoking regulations.

TSA will waive the 3.4-ounce carry-on liquid rule for medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities. They must be declared to TSOs for hand inspection, and the process is helped if the medications are labeled.

Shell casings are pieces of metal that surround a bullet. Empty casings can be carried in a bag as long as the projectile is no longer intact or the primer has been removed or has been discharged.  

Anglers can bring their poles. But they should check with the airline to ensure that it complies with size limitations and that they fit into an overhead bin.

TSA requires both to be transported in a clear, plastic, spill-proof container. A TSO will visually inspect a crustacean at the security checkpoint, and the agency recommends checking with an airline about its carry-on lobster policy.

TSA got a lot of backlash from customers with upset children back in 2011 after banning liquid-filled snow globes. They are now allowed in carry-on bags -- but only if it follows the agency's 3.4-ounce rule and fits into a quart-sized bag.

Travelers are allowed to have used syringes in their carry-on bag as long as they are placed in a Sharps disposal container or another similar hard-surface container. They can bring unused syringes when accompanied by injectable medication. Both items must be declared to security officers at the checkpoint for inspection. Medications with labels will help facilitate the inspection process.