I have purchased Rick Steves Pack Mates. They were going to be used with carry on luggage.. With new TSA rules, will ;they require that they be opened. or will they pass on them, Thanks, Tom
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Which new TSA rules are you referring to? All bags go through a scanner. If the operator sees something suspicious the bags will be hand searched and the pack mates may have to be opened. If not, you're on your way. Supposedly their are some secondary searches for some flights at the gates.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Whether or not your bag gets opened depends highly on clear it is for the TSA agent to see what is in your bag and understand what it is. I had problems recently with a tiny flashlight. I carry it in my purse and it was so small that it was unclear what it was. (It was probably surrounded by ear bud wires as well which wouldn't have helped.) Today, when I went through security, I attached the flash light to a key ring and pulled it out of my purse so it was no longer near the ear buds. I sailed through the xray.
So, pack carefully. Check out the advice at the TSA site. http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/screening_experience.shtm
Posted by
York, PA
300 posts
If your bag does need to be opened and inspected it's much easier and quicker to do it if your stuff is in some sort of packing cubes rather than tossed loose into the bag.
In my experience they will only need a closer look if there's something unusual in them. Outbound nothing happened, on the return we had two jars of fleur de sel that they wanted to look at.