Liquids for carry on must be in original container?
 

I realize the topic of liquids for carry on has been beaten to death, but I have been unable to find an answer to this question using the search function.

I was told by a woman at the luggage store the other day that all liquids for carry on must not only be less than 3 oz, but also MUST be in the original packaging. So this basically means that if it's not a product marketed as a "travel size", you can't bring it as a carry on! That would be a real bummer, because I plan on doing carry on only for my trip, and many of my favorite
products are not available in travel sizes, so I had planned on decanting some into smaller travel bottles.

Could this possibly be true? I have scoured the TSA website, and have not found anything to confirm this statement. If it's not true, do you think there are some overzealous TSA screeners that are confiscating things for not being in the original packaging? I can't figure out where this notion is coming from.

This is not correct.

Hi J,

>do you think there are some overzealous TSA screeners that are confiscating things for not being in the original packaging?

Probably.

Do all of these things have to go in carryon?

Are they not available in Europe?

((I))

Apparantly some overzealous TSA screeners are confiscating things for "looking bigger" even though the bottles are within the limits they might perhaps have a strange shape.

I just had 2 small clear refill bottles with shampoo and conditioner confiscated. The reason was that "they didn't have an original label".

So , next time I'll buy a travel size bottle of any shampoo and conditioner, empty them and fill them with my stuff.

In February, I had a couple of liquids and creams decanted into smaller containers and it was not a problem.

And Ira, you are so right. I had a little baggie of things that I noticed all over the place upon our arrival in Paris.

However, there were a couple of things that I had in carry-on that I would have really been upset not to find upon my arrival. I think at least part of the decision to pack them or not depends on one's destination. Everything I could have ever wanted was at my finger tips in Paris. But had I been going directly to a small town or even a village, that might not have been the case.

There's nothing to stop you from putting shampoo in a 3oz bottle that is labeled "hand lotion." Even the overzeaous TSA screener who is rejecting unmarked bottles, isn't testing contents to see if they conform to labeling, I hope.

I've read that a TSA screener can reject a container that is larger than 3 oz, even if it is obvious to most that it contains less than 3 oz. currently. The most obvious case would be toothpaste -- I always save my tubes when I'm near the end for travel, and it is very clearly less than three oz, yet I've read they can reject that. I have done that several times, and they didn't throw them away, though.

As for what the lady in the luggage store told you, she doesn't know what she's talking about. How on earth would the TSA agent even know if it were the original container or not? I always save my 2 oz. travel shampoo bottles and then refill them at home from larger bottles, for example.

You 1st two sentences in your second paragraph aren't clear to me as the second sentence doesn't relate to the first.

If someone had a clear bottle confiscated, I'd suggest you not use one (never heard of that), but as I said, there isn't any way they could even know for things like shampoo. They aren't sealed in the store like pills. Perhaps it's because a clear bottle isn't really labelled as to size, and a real product is.

Ira,
It's not that I couldn't get these things in Europe, it's just that I'm picky about products (high maintenance, what can I say?), and I would rather not have to make trips to various department stores searching for my preferred products, only to have to toss them on the return flight because they were full size.

It's okay, really. As long as I know ahead of time that there's a chance someone might toss my decanted jar of Frederic Fekkai overnight hair repair, or my decanted pot of Creme de La Mer, I just won't bring them. I can live without them. I can even "gasp" tolerate using the products at the hotel. But what would really stink is if I bought special jars for this stuff, and decanted it only to have it tossed prior to departure. (These are too pricy to waste that much, man!)

So anyway, that's why I was asking.
Even if it's not a true rule, given the aparrent confusion of many TSA screeners regarding the rules, perhaps I should just not try it?

I hope this "woman at the luggage store" wasn't the same person who told the poster that BA is no longer handing out free pillows and blankets on overnight flights!

As to possible TSA "confusion" I won't even go there.

Dont know if this helps,
but I found empty travel sized bottles at the Walmart - which have a sticker on them that says "3 ounces".
So you can fill them with whatever you want, and it is obvious to the screener what the volume of the container is.

Christina,

That is exactly what happened to me, but a full tube of prescription cream the same size was acceptable. The logic escapes me.

cristina- your post and others point out the inconsistancies of TSA screening. I did what you described with a few tubes that were slightly larger than 3oz but mostly empty. They were confiscated and subjected my carry on to a more intensive search.

I too have had containers larger than 3 oz. but were very obviously almost empty confiscated and tossed. The entire bottle has to be 3 oz. size or smaller, not just the contents.

At this end, it's the size of tehcontainers that matters, not whow much is left in them.

But you can use decanted stuff.

Well, as far as larger containers that are nearly empty, I know that TSA specifically adresses that on their website. They say that bottles larger than 3oz are NOT acceptable, even if they are partly empty. Also, they mention "rolled up" almost empty tubes of toothpaste as an example of what is not allowed. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but whatever.

Christina, I think I see why my first post was unclear to you. What I was trying to say was that, if this silly rumor were true, it would mean that we couldn't bring any product onto the plane (as a carry on) that isn't available in sizes smaller than 3 oz. Many higher-end beauty products (especially things like liquid foundations, face creams, certain hair styling products) are not available in anything other than full-size.

This lady at the luggage store was actually not the first person I had heard this from, either. It sounds like a few of you other posters have experienced the overzealous screeners as well.

I think you guys are right. I'd bet money that the reason a few of the screeners are insisting on "original labels" is because they want to see the size printed on the bottle.

A lot of this stuff really takes some of the joy out of travelling. And with the arbitrary rules so inconsistently enforced, I must say it dosn't make me feel much safer.

"As for what the lady in the luggage store told you, she doesn't know what she's talking about. How on earth would the TSA agent even know if it were the original container or not? I always save my 2 oz. travel shampoo bottles and then refill them at home from larger bottles, for example. "


The lady in the luggage stoere was NOT incorrect.

Things to keep in mind.

1. The TSA is run by an IDIOT.
2. The TSA website does not require original labels and there was a poster on another board I frequent who actually called the TSA and was told the bottles don't have to be original.
2. The TSA allows some of thier hired idiots to play a game known as "make up your own rules"
3. One varation of "make up your own rules" is to state that the liquids MUST BE in the ORIGIAL LABLED bottles. The way around this IDIOT move is to buy the "el cheapo" bottles at your local discount store and empty them. I then rinse them out and allow them to dry. I then refill them with MY stuff. The TSA Agent is happy, my bottles are "labeled", He/she thinks they know what they have there. How this makes us safer is unclear but there you have it. The things we do to keep the TSA happy.
4. The rules do say the items must be IN a container under 100 ml (which is actually a little larger then 3oz) so you can't bring an almost empty whatever if the bottles bigger then the stated size.
5. In spite of several months, some TSA agents cannot tell the size of the bottle if it is not clearly printed.

If you don't want to allow your TSA agent to play the game ask for a supervisor. (My experience has been that the TSA agents hate this and will back down while trying to convince you that "you will miss your plane waiting on him/her" So be it.)

Well, I would say that she most certainly was incorrect, and virtually everything you said agrees with her being incorrect. Shampoo does not have to be in its original container, just a bottle 3 oz. or less. I always move shampoo from a larger bottle to a small 2 oz bottle, that says some kind of shampoor brand and 2 oz. on the label. However, it definitely is not my product's original packaging. I also put sunscreen lotion, hair conditioner, etc. in these bottles. They are not the original packaging at all, they aren't even necessarily the same product.

I do find it rather odd that these agents are so stupid that they supposedly can't figure out that a 4 oz. tube of toothpaste rolled up to less than 1/2 its original size must be less than 3 oz. I could understand for borderline things, they can't be guessing.

I guess I am missing something. Why would anyone need shampoo on an airplane? Put it in your checked luggage, in a Ziploc bag.

1) Not checking a bag, and your hair is really unruly withour its favorite shampoo and conditioner.

2) Even if you pack the shampoo, you might want hand sanitizer or lotion for use in flight. Same rules apply to these liquids.

Am I the only one who saw and read and thought hysterical that the big poohbah, TSA, had managed to lose the computer info on all it's employees..SS numbers , addresses, everything to some identity thief.



Doesn't that make you feel secure!

Hit reply too soon...TSA and HS are a joke. Just making the paranoid feel secure/

And per a previous post here, don't forget that the brilliant TSA doesn't know what a "quart-size bag" is unless manufactured by Ziploc or Hefty. I tried using a quart-size bag with a real zipper (from a previous product purchase) and they refused to let me use it. I held it up to their picture of a quart-size bag and it was exactly the same size! And yet, they argued that it wasn't quart-sized.

And ANY TIME I have asked for a supervisor when a TSA agent was playing "the game", the TSA supervisor backed up their employee. Period. Apparently, they are just not allowed to use common sense, even if they possess it. :(

The bottle that is over 3oz but half filled could be filled in the plane to concoct a bomb thingy.

Supposedly, this is the correct rule, i.e. the liquids or creams must be in the original containers.

Frankly, I don't hink they'd notice if you decanted your preferred products into a travel-size bottle with a label, as long as it looks like a similar product, i.e. do they all REALLY know what each shampoo looks like? The point: how insistent are you that you bring your favorites, or buy them at your destination (if available?)

'By the way, I've brought on board a 3-oz bottle of Kiehl's shampoo that was about 2/3 full. They didn;t seem to mind, or maybe I looked especially harmless that day.

Tricks when you ask for the supervisor.

1. Have the TSA webpage in your biefcase. Yes, folks LOTS of Frequent Fliers are now hauling around a PRINT out of the TSA rules since the TSA cannot be bothered to TRAIN their staff. Make them "explain" Always be polite, but make sure they FULLY explain. If they won't make sure that you repeat that back to them. (See #3 below)

2. Make sure you ASK for thier name and badge number. I write it down in front of them

3. FOLLOW UP. Write the airport, the TSA and your elected officals. The airport actually has no 'real' power, but they need to know that the TSA is driving off thier passengers. Witnesses are good. I got the names of other passengers who saw my "infamous" senior citizen abuse and included thier contact info iun my letter. (Not sure what worked, but the JERK TSA agent was NEVER spotted by me at BNA's security check points again. I checked every week for a year!!!)

What about putting the creams etc. in tiny ziplock bags?

Am I dead set on bringing my own products? No, especially not after what I have read regarding the inconsistencies in "liquids enforcement" by some TSA employees. The point of my posting the question in the first place was to see if others were getting unlabelled items confiscated. Obviously, although it is not technically part of the "official rules" there ARE some people that are getting these items confiscated, as per previous posts here. So I guess I am glad I asked.

I was really interested in whether the generic (read: previously unused) bottles would work for me, and it sounds like those "might" be taking a chance. I would be interested to know if anyone has gotten the ones with the "3 oz" sticker confiscated.

Although it obviously works for some people, I don't think I'll be washing out cheapie bottles to put my own stuff in. From my own experience, no matter how many times I wash out the bottles, whatever I put in it always winds up smelling like Pantene (or whatever else was in the bottle previously)!

I would also just like to point out that anecdotal stories of "I always do this and have never had a problem" don't change the fact that it only takes one employee interpreting the rules a certain way to get your stuff tossed in the bin. On the flip side, it only takes one story of someone getting their stuff taken away to convince me that it's not a good idea to even try.

By the way, no I don't need to use shampoo on the plane, or anything else for that matter. But as I mentioned in my previous post, I would like to avoid checking baggage if at all possible.

This is one of the many reasons why I hate flying.

My husband recently flew from Chicago to Atlanta and they threw out everything that was not in the original travel sized type containers. They told him that unless it is in its original packaging he could not take it on.

He travels a decent amound and this is the first time it happened, but it did happen.

Just out of curiosity, does the airport authority have any control over TSA?

I agree with the idiot assessment. I doubt very much if any TSA agent in range could tell if you had substituted Pantene for Pert in a shampoo container. Moreover I doubt very much if some of them ever bother to look at the content size printed on the container.

If the size is given only in millileters, I doubt if any TSA agent is going to multiply milliliters by .03381 to convert it to ounces. If the container looks too big, toss it.

In theory 88 ml should meet the 3 oz requirement, but whether it gets by or not is problematical.

I have found the best way is to use one of the TSA plastic bags (not yours), put all your liquids and gels in it, and put then put the bag in the plastic bin along with your belt, keys, shoes, and whatever else you decide to dump in there. (Mostly I take off my shoes only when I have on a pair that has a steel shank.)

The indifference and variability in
quality of TSA personnel are at times alarming.

I have a metal hip and every time I fly, I must go through the same nonsense of being spread eagled and wanded. Same hip, same results everytime. My most funny story about the experience was a few years ago after I rang the bell going through the metal detector. First, I got the usual banished to purgatory while someone bellowed out MALE ASSIST.

Second, after a few minutes some joker who looked like he would not know a tibia from a scapula came over to check me out.

His question: What's the trouble?
My response: I have a metal hip.
His next question: Where 'bouts?

Given that you might have this perspicacious gentleman, or someone similar, inspecting your liquids and gels, I think most anything could happen.

The airport authority has no real authority over the TSA. However, having talked to some folks in airport management, they do work together to resolve issues. The folks who check your ID do work for the airport. (And that's always interesting. I wonder what they have proven besides the ID and ticket match, about half the time they don't even look at me)

The reason I complain to the airport authority is that they have a vested interest in keeping passengers flying so maybe they will complain to the TSA if they get enough complaints.

<<So , next time I'll buy a travel size bottle of any shampoo and conditioner, empty them and fill them with my stuff.>>

Thus showing that any moderately clever person can circumvent the "rule" that original packaging must be used. A troublemaker could put their various indredients in 4 3-oz bottles that previously held something benign like Listerine - and wouldn't need a large bottle to mix them in, they could use the famed "one quart bag".

There are undoubtedly some very capable people working as screeners, but there are also some not so bright ones in the mix; so, possibly wisely given the circumstance, all are told to go strictly by a rule, rather than exercise judgment. Continuing on this path, judgment in all things will become a thing of the past! But at least we will have lots of marginally effective rules to fall back on.

I think someone really clever would start packaging all our travel needs as "water-soluble sheets", like thin leaves of soap that disappear as you use them - even clothes detergent in that form. Or maybe we need to go back to old-fashioned "tooth powders" and solid bars of shaving soap. Anything to avoid a scene at security gates.

Fly safe, all.

Jazzblues1...<I don't think I'll be washing out cheapie bottles to put my own stuff in>
If you are going to go with the regular travel size of your "non-regular" shampoo, make sure you use that shampoo at least once before traveling. Bad time to break out in allergic hives from new shampoo is when you're in Paris for your first time, etc. :)

bob_brown...<Given that you might have this perspicacious gentleman, or someone similar>

You slay me!! hahahahaha :)

I can't believe all this yak about
3 oz bottles. Surely, you can buy
shampoo, etc. for this trip that won't
make your hair fall out.
I intend to buy all of it when we get
to our destination, especially after
reading all these posts.

Here's a way to refill those travel sized toothpaste tubes, reduce landfill waste and save a buck. Watch it at youtube.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tvDCl4EFdw

Last week I traveled on Southwest Airlings and was allowed to take creams, etc., on board but they had to be in a plastic zip lock bag and shown to the TSA guys when you go thru the scanner.
In April my friend had soaps, liquids, creams, etc. taken away becasue they were not in a plastic bag. We were on United Airlines.

this is nanabee again.
i wonder if some airports differ from others. san diego's airport will even provide the plastic zip lock bags to put your shampoo, creams, toothpaste, medicines, etc. into.
In Chicago airport last April they weren't as helpful.

The zip lok bags have been a requirement for several months now. You should be prepared before you get to the airport. They hand the baggies out at some airports simply to help those who don't have one.