Maggie

I've tried to research this topic on my own with no luck, so please, Fodorites, help me if you can. We are flying from Dulles to Cancun connecting through Houston Intercontinental. Haven't flown since 9/11 so we are unsure whether certain items which used to be "no problema" are now allowable (security-wise) as carry-ons, especially at these airports. Specifically: scuba masks (afraid to check-in because they are prescription, and could not be easily replaced). Also, what about breakable items we've carried on in the past such as glass bottles (liquor, perfume), and souvenir ceramics (pottery, etc..) I do not mean huge urns or cases of tequila, but small items which easily fit into a standard-size carry-on. Are these still allowed?
Also, what about the film situation? I know that FAA regulations require that security personnel at US airports hand-inspect film if requested, but is this regualtion actually being followed. And what about the Cancun airport - will they hand-inspect film there if requested?
Any information about recent experiences (good or bad) with carry-ons will be much appreciated!
Maggie

Trudi

Hi
We just got back from Cancun, we packed our snorkle gear in our suitcase, they did hand search on the way home (random pick) We had no problems with our film going through x-ray. Don't know about liquor but I would suggest carrying on any breakable, it will be put through the x ray machine.One other advice watch how heavy your suitcase is, we almost had to pay seventy five dolars extra(in L.A.) we always carry an extra nylon bag for souvinors and it saved us. Hope this helped. Have fun.

x

common sense would say you couldn't take on large breakable bottles. but, call your airline and ask them.

rp

We came back from Cancun on United on 4/7/02. In Cancun, every piece of luggage (checked and carry-on) was being hand-searched at check-in for every passenger, and all carry-ons were hand-searched again at the boarding gate in Cancun. This took time, so plan on plenty of time at the airport. This was the first time we've flown since 9/11, and the two things that seemed different were the hand-searches, and that the flights seemed to board much earlier than before 9/11. (I think our flights started boarding about 45-50 minutes before the scheduled departure times.) We had good flights and no hassles, but were glad we had allowed a lot of time at each airport.

Maggie

Dear Trudi, x, and rp:

Thanks for your responses.

Maggie