On our last flight, we had one checked bag and one carry-on. I know better but had a brain fart, I put in the carry-on, two cans of $17.00 each, hair spray! I asked them to please give them to someone to take home and use cause they were expensive. They said they were not permitted to do that, that they would have to be trashed.

Flew twice this weekend (Labor Day), rules still in effect, but sporadically administered -- as always. TSA agent yawning and looking over her shoulder as our bags passed through her xray machine. I've always thought that to be the most tedious job in the universe and have to wonder at the true effectiveness of it all. Have you ever had a peek at your bag on the xray screen? How difficult could it be to conceal bits and pieces of something within all the hodge-podge and have it go un-noticed? I don't know how they make heads or tails of any of it -- even with loads of training.

<i>They said they were not permitted to do that, that they would have to be trashed.</i>,

they do offer "shipping" the items, although expensive, it's an option. The TSA flunky you had to deal with obviously was short of few brain cells.

USPS regulations limit your options for shipping hair spray and other aerosols (can't use First Class or Priority Mail) so perhaps the agent was factoring-in that non-terrorist threat to air safety.

Check TSA website regularly, there was something on TV this morning about revision of the rules in the UK - and the US may follow.

<i>USPS regulations limit your options for shipping hair spray and other aerosols (can't use First Class or Priority Mail) so perhaps the agent was factoring-in that non-terrorist threat to air safety.</i>

huh?

last time I checked I could have any size liquid container as long as it was in a checked in bag. Why would USPS have issues with a hair spray company shipping a huge carton of 1000 oz, size cans to their customer?

They want you to declare the content, so it's placed properly in the plane cargo hold, but I doubt very much they have an issue with what's being shipped.

Me again, just following up! Our flights went off without a hitch, and things do seem to be a bit more relaxed with the liquids.

I had our quart bags (one for each of us, and an extra with contact solution and liquid pres meds) but totally forgot to remove them and put them in the bins through security. They went through just fine. this was in Cincinnati.

On the return flight from San Francisco, I remembered about the liquids, but this time just watched to see if I should remove them from the carry-ons. When it was our time to go through security an agent asked if we had any "beverages" and she named everything from water to tequilla, but no mention of removing our quart bags.

Was nice to have things a little easier than the last time we flew.

(and my husband finally remembered to remove his belt so he didn't get beeped at and then searched!)