New TSA powder rule

Thanks Lola - I hadn't heard that - I don't travel with powders but I do tend to pick up spices on my travels so..

Looks like it applies to fairly large quantities.

It’s a LOT of powder. One way to get around it is to bring packaged individual serving products for things like protein powder etc.

I’m having a hard time imagining the need for that much powder.

Pick up a package of ground cinnamon from a souk in Morocco,..? You may be better off checking it, thanks to a heightened Transportation Security Administration screening that will soon go into widespread effect.

Why would a package from a souk in Morocco interest TSA? Surely they don't examine incoming luggage coming from North Africa. Customs perhaps but not TSA.

I suppose that some people aren't able to stay airside when making connections coming home?

Why would a package from a souk in Morocco interest TSA? Surely they don't examine incoming luggage coming from North Africa.

Not after you arrive in the US. But TSA is now in a lot of other places. There's the Preclearance airports, plus secondary screening in some European airports for US-bound flights.

so flights originating in Europe are being checked by TSA in Europe? Don't they trust the Europeans and British?

Nigel, of course not. Its a new world.

The article says "the TSA is asking foreign airports with non-stop U.S. flights to implement similar security measures". So no TSA agents in foreign airports, yet. I guess if you have a connecting flight in the US you could get caught.

so flights originating in Europe are being checked by TSA in Europe? Don't they trust the Europeans and British?

Over the last few years I've gone through extra screening on European flights to the US (while connecting in Amsterdam), or seen other passengers go through extra security (Last month while connecting in Munich) while we didn't have to. I don't actually know who employed the security persons, so I don't know if they are TSA employees. I also don't know whose rules they were applying. Maybe the rules are made up on the spot.

If this is in response to an attempt to blow up an aircraft in Australia using an explosive powder, how does checking in powder make aircraft safer?