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Is the liquids ban no more?
It's hard to remember a time when liquids were openly allowed on a plane, when wine runs to Paris were plausible and when bringing a full water bottle past security wasn't considered a shame-worthy sin. For several years now the TSA has ardently enforced a 3-1-1 rule, effectively restricting anyone from carrying liquids in containers over 100mL onto an airplane.As time and tempers have faded, however, so has enforcement. Now when marching through the security line it seems that a few containers over 100mL can slip through the X-ray and that few are asked to remove and display their liquids. Our old friend Chris Elliott writes up a few first hand accounts over at MSNBC, where from his perspective it almost appears that the ban is no longer.
Needless to say, take Mr. Elliott's experiences with a grain of salt. Officially, the 3-1-1 policy is still in place, and anyone bringing an egregious amount of liquid or citing his article is surely going to get rebuffed. For now, count your blessings that the TSA might be looking the other way and cross your fingers that the policy soon becomes permanent.
Needless to say, take Mr. Elliott's experiences with a grain of salt. Officially, the 3-1-1 policy is still in place, and anyone bringing an egregious amount of liquid or citing his article is surely going to get rebuffed. For now, count your blessings that the TSA might be looking the other way and cross your fingers that the policy soon becomes permanent.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jeff Pruett May 10th 2010 4:33PM
Their too preoccupied with their new full body scanners!
Richard May 10th 2010 8:32PM
Traveled last week from MCO and TSA is still talking about liquids.
Chris May 11th 2010 8:06AM
At first I thought it was a typo, but when you referred to the rule a second time as '3-1-1', then I really got confused. Can you elaborate on this, or is it actually a typo referencing 9-1-1?
Scott Carmichael May 11th 2010 8:26AM
3-1-1:
3 ounces per bottle, 1 quart bag, 1 bag per traveler
http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm
Willy May 11th 2010 9:32AM
Seriously? There are still people who don't know the 3-1-1 rule?
Chris May 11th 2010 9:54AM
Knowing the rule and knowing the name of the rule are two different things. Also, I do not live in the US, so the TSA doesn't control my airport security.
Thanks for trolling though.
Kim May 11th 2010 10:38PM
Is she a minor?
srsnakes May 11th 2010 8:18PM
When will they let us walk our families all the way to the boarding gate again?
Kim May 11th 2010 8:24PM
Not likely ever again. But honestly, every time I fly, I can't imagine adding more people to the already packed terminals. The only people at the gate should be those flying.
slcramm May 11th 2010 9:46PM
I walk my daughter to the plane everytime she flies. You just have to get a visitors pass from the airline desk.
Steve
kim May 11th 2010 11:43PM
Is she a minor?
Kim May 11th 2010 8:23PM
We just traveled with our just over 2 year old son. While there is separate limitations involving infants and toddlers according to the TSA website. In both Detroit and Orlando airports, we were never asked to show anything in any of our bags. I had purposely packed all those creams/medications in a clear zipper bag in my son's diaper bag and all of his juice/milk in one insulated bag with a cold pack so that I could easily and quickly pull them out for inspection. Also, Orlando has a separate line for "family liquids" so that would account for that airport not asking but Detroit did not have the same type of line and still didn't ask.
Fine with me...it's not the items in a diaper bag or other carry on that we need to worry about. It's the stuff in people's underware these days!
Sam May 11th 2010 8:31PM
This past Novermber I flew to Seattle to see my boyfriend one last time before he deployed to Afghanistan. We went to the Seattle Aquarium & I bought a water globe for my two little cousins back home, at SEATAC I was banned from taking it on the plane, they told me I had to throw it away because water globes werent permitted on planes, needless to say, after I got rid of it & finally got through security, there were ten different kinds of water globes for sale at the store right beside my gate. The ban is definately still in effect there!
Anthony May 11th 2010 9:19PM
I flew from Chicago to DCA today and I had a pint sized bottle of liquor in my bag that made it past security. I also had other toiletries that complied with the 3-1-1 rule but I did not remove from my bag. Both the 3-1-1 bag and the bottle of liquor made it through the checkpoint without any problems. I'm happy I didn't have to throw the drink away! This article makes sense based on my experience today.
Contessa May 11th 2010 9:37PM
Nothing gets by the eagle eyes of TSA employees at the airport in Peoria, IL. I went through security last week trying to get out of Peoria and they made me throw away a can of Hot Dog Meat Sauce. A sealed can, not a jar They said it was a paste!
Richard May 11th 2010 10:42PM
Hot dog meat sauce. YUM!! NOT!
Ron May 11th 2010 11:14PM
It would be nice if Grant Martin knew what he was talking about. This story was born from the European Union stating that THEY would abandon the liquid ban by 2013. This is predicated on the technology being in place to handle liquid screening. The TSA in the United States has made no such declaration and the ban is in effect indefinitely!
God, please help these reporters become competent. It is disheartening when they fail to do the job they were hired to do, and instead, simply take some shred of partial information and turn it in to a misleading and totally inaccurate story!
Give me a BREAK!
Rod May 11th 2010 11:36PM
Since terrorists can buy weapons without a background check in Arizona, liquids should be the least of our worries.
bill severse May 12th 2010 12:39AM
My wife & I travelled to Las Vegas from Boston in March '10. I packed 2 - 3 ounce plastic bottles of my own bloody mary mix (gorillasown.com) in with my medication in the "approved" 1 quart bag. It cleared TSA scrutiny but the "Pub Cheese" (in an unopened container) was confiscated by security. The 3 ounce containers didn't have any type of description on them at all. I got to enjoy 2 GREAT Bloody Mary's on the flight but truely missed the cheese with the crackers !
anne May 12th 2010 1:38AM
If flying safe means not taking liquids on the plane then deal with it. They will lower the standards of security for all of you whiners and then something bad will happen and we will then tighten the rules again. The terorist will wait us out because they are patient.They don't care how long they have to wait..It is their only mission in life is to kill. Freaking just pay for your drink.