HIGHFILL, Ark — We've all been there - in a rush to catch a flight only to be slowed down by the dreaded long security lines. But have you ever wondered if those long lines are due to the wacky items other passengers packed?
"The number one excuse we hear when we find a prohibited item is, 'I didn't know it was in my bag' or 'I didn't put it there,'" says TSA Spokesperson Patricia Mancha.
Mancha says the number one item found by agents are water bottles and she wants everyone to remember the 3-1-1 rule.
One quart-sized bag per person, that contains any liquids, aerosols, gels, or pastes 3.4 ounces or less. While there are other items that can still be taken in a carry on that do not have to comply to that rule, some passengers have attempted to bring things that raise eyebrows.
"I'm going to have to leave that snowglobe or that cast-iron skillet that has my grandmother's 'seasoning' because it's been passed down," laughs Mancha. "We've had all kinds of items that have been abandoned."
It is important to note, TSA does not confiscate these items. They are prohibited and passengers must abandon them or find a way to get them home or to their destination.
For a full list of prohibited items, visit the TSA website.
Mancha suggests shipping items before your trip, asking whomever took you to the airport to take it with, mail the item home, or give yourself plenty of time to go back and put the item in your car before going through security.
She says a lot of the hastle comes from simply not giving yourself enough time.
"If you get here early, you'll have time to step out of line, check your bag, and then just go on with your trip," said Mancha.
Another simple solution could be to just move items to a checked bag or check your carry on.
"Just about anything you can imagine can travel in your checked luggage," says Mancha.
However, there are some restrictions to what can be checked. "The only exception are grenades, anything shaped like an explosive, or explosive components," said Mancha.
If you cannot check your bag and are hoping to come back and pick up any item you need to leave behind, Mancha says there is no way to recover it.
TSA does not hold any item for passengers to collect on a return trip. All prohibited items that are abandoned are eventually sold - with the money raised going back to the airport.
No proceeds are given to TSA. But, lose change that is left behind at security, well that is another story.
"Last year was about $1 million, and that's pennies, dimes, nickels, dollars that travelers leave behind, that's all over the U.S.," says Mancha. The lose change that is recovered does go back to TSA through a general fund.
Mancha hopes passengers "pack their patience" this holiday season and remember to leave the skillets, snow globes, baseball bats, power tools, and other prohibited items at home.
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