Planning to fly throughout the holidays however aren’t fairly certain what’s allowed in your carry-on bag? Questioning for those who can pack all of your presents in your checked baggage? Curious whether or not you may deliver vacation meals and treats on board?
By no means concern; AskTSA is right here. The Transportation Safety Administration has a text-based choice for cellphones so vacationers can discover solutions to their urgent journey packing questions.
This textual content choice is along with the TSA’s social media accounts and its “What Can I Deliver?” webpage.
So, how does it work? And, extra importantly, how will we prefer it? Learn on for all the main points.
use AskTSA
First, one fast, vital level. Once we’re speaking in regards to the TSA, we’re particularly specializing in flying domestically. For questions on what you may deliver internationally, test with U.S. Customs and Border Safety as a substitute.
For home journey, the current addition of AskTSA saves a number of steps from looking out the TSA webpage or visiting its social media accounts.
To begin, merely textual content “Journey” to AskTSA (275872). The service supplies automated responses 24 hours a day, and TSA consultants can be found from 8 a.m. to six p.m. EST.
Be aware that on a current take a look at run, we discovered solutions to be in brief provide late at night time, and we have now seen prolonged solutions throughout the daytime hours when the road is absolutely staffed.
The interface requires customers to decide on one of many following subjects to get began:
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- TSA PreCheck
- What can I deliver?
- Identification
- Medical questions
- Damages/claims
- Hiring
- Different
We determined to strive the “What can I deliver?” part to get some packing assist for the vacations.
Associated: TSA liquids rule: What to learn about 3-1-1 earlier than you head to the airport
After we selected this class, the subsequent query was whether or not we most well-liked to work together in English or Spanish. Subsequent got here a alternative between “carry-on or private bag” or “checked bag” baggage, after which we had been offered with the next merchandise classes:
- CBD merchandise
- Digital cigarettes
- Electronics
- Firearms
- Flammable aerosols
- Meals
- Grooming objects
- Knives
- Lighters
- Liquids
- Lithium batteries
- Powder child components
Here is how we fared whereas in search of packing ideas for some in style objects.
Sports activities tools
First up was TPG contributor Ashley Kosciolek, who launched into a multistop journey with ice skates and fishing lures in her carry-on bag.
When she checked in with AskTSA, it took a number of minutes for her to listen to again in regards to the skates, which is a time lag I skilled as effectively. Though two to a few minutes definitely is not lengthy, it may well positively really feel just like the message won’t have been obtained when you’re looking at your telephone.
This reply for ice skates supplied the identical data Ashley had discovered on the TSA web site when she searched on-line.
For her fishhook inquiry, it took 13 hours (in a single day) to get a reply. When answered, although, it appeared to have been despatched by an individual as a substitute of a bot.
Presents
Subsequent, I requested one of many questions I hear most often from buddies: Can I deliver wrapped presents by means of safety?
That is at all times a tough one. I’ve personally seen an agent at Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) unwrap a tightly secured set of candlesticks from Tiffany’s, watching as layer after layer of Bubble Wrap was eliminated whereas the passenger in entrance of me grew to become an increasing number of distraught.
I’ve by no means wrapped a present since (as a substitute, I deliver reward luggage and tissue paper for fast gifting). Nonetheless, I’ve since witnessed this once more.
The official phrase is that the TSA “advocate(s)” ready. It is simple to see why vacationers might be confused by this directive.
Meals
Readers often ask what TSA-approved meals might be introduced by means of safety. Clint Henderson, a principal spokesperson at TPG, despatched a question to the TSA that I hadn’t thought-about but: Can I deliver frozen turkey on a aircraft?
Fortunately for Clint, he can deliver his frozen turkey on board. This additionally applies to different frozen meals, together with butter, which I not too long ago requested about, and even water. However notice that any frozen merchandise wants to stay in a stable state and never be tender or in liquid kind to make it by means of safety.
Associated: Here is what Thanksgiving meals you may usher in your carry-on and what needs to be checked
With extra meals questions, we had Becky Blaine, TPG’s managing editor of newsletters, attain out to AskTSA.
Becky had pumpkin pie in thoughts when she queried “creamy” meals, one of many two classes (together with “stable”) supplied up for meals questions.
When she replied “No” as to if she had obtained a passable reply to her query from the automated system, she was knowledgeable {that a} “Social Care Specialist” can be in contact between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Whereas this reply was useful, we had been in a position to sort in “pie” on the TSA “What Can I Deliver?” webpage and obtained a solution instantly.
Backside line
Should you’re not in a rush and need to know what you may pack, the AskTSA textual content message choice is a useful device, particularly if you’d like a customized reply about an merchandise that you simply’re unsure find out how to categorize.
Nonetheless, we had been capable of finding data a bit quicker just by looking out with Google for many objects.
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