10 Airport Travel Tips To Get You Through Security Lines Easier: TSA

NEW JERSEY — Do yourself a favor – and everyone else in line, too: don’t try to take a knife through an airport security checkpoint. This is one of the travel tips that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently shared ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

On Thursday, the TSA released a list of the “Top 10 things that passengers forget but need to remember” when they go through the security screening process.

The list includes:

DRINK BOTTLES – Remember that you cannot bring bottles of water, energy drinks, juice, coffee, soda or any filled insulated reusable container through a security checkpoint. However, they can finish their beverage and bring the empty bottle or container with them.

IDENTIFICATION – Remember to bring your ID to the checkpoint. (People really tell us that they left their ID home.)

EMPTY YOUR POCKETS – Remember when TSA officers remind you to remove everything from your pockets that it does not only mean metallic items such as keys and mobile phones, but it means everything, including non-metallic items such as tissues, lip balm, breath mints, etc.

NO GUNS – Remember that you cannot bring a firearm through a checkpoint. Instead, pack your unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case and declare it at your airline check-in counter and the airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it.

SHOES OFF – Remember that you need to remove your shoes when getting screened and then end up barefoot on the floor. (It’s probably a good idea to wear socks.)

PRECHECK FOR KIDS – Remember that children 12 and under are allowed to travel through a TSA PreCheck screening lane with a parent who has TSA PreCheck on their boarding pass. In addition, don’t forget that children up to the age of 18 can also come into the TSA PreCheck lane with their parent if they are on the same airline reservation as their parent.

SHOE, JACKET EXCEPTION – Remember that passengers that appear 12 and under or 75 and older do not need to remove their shoes and light jacket.

LUGGAGE LOCKS – Remember, if you are putting a lock on your luggage, make sure it is a TSA compatible lock so that if TSA officers need to open your luggage, they can unlock it and relock it. If the lock is not TSA compliant, TSA officers who need to open your luggage will cut off the lock, rendering it useless.

MEDICINE – Remember that you can bring medications through a security checkpoint—even liquid medication. Just let the TSA officer know that you have liquid medication with you so it can be screened separately.

REAL ID – Remember to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license sooner rather than later because REAL ID goes into effect on May 7, 2025.

Another tip from the pros? Don’t try to bring a knife through a checkpoint, authorities said.

“Passengers forget that knives and other weapons are not allowed through our checkpoints,” said Aisha Hicks, a TSA officer at Philadelphia International Airport.

“It’s shocking to see so many people with knives,” Hicks added.

“People seem to forget some of the more common and routine steps that they need to take when packing for a flight or when they are going through a checkpoint, perhaps because they’re focused on being at their destination and not focusing on what needs to happen before getting there,” said Christopher Kirchein, a TSA officer at JFK Airport in New York City.

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