Can I pack it? Text the TSA and ask
Editor's Note
Planning to fly during the holidays but aren't quite sure what's allowed in your carry-on bag? Wondering if you can pack all your gifts in your checked luggage? Curious whether you can bring holiday food and treats on board?
Never fear; AskTSA is here. The Transportation Security Administration has a text-based option for mobile phones so travelers can find answers to their pressing travel packing questions.
This text option is in addition to the TSA's social media accounts and its "What Can I Bring?" webpage.
So, how does it work? And, more importantly, how do we like it? Read on for all the details.
How to use AskTSA
First, one quick, important point. When we're talking about the TSA, we're specifically focusing on flying domestically. For questions about what you can bring internationally, check with U.S. Customs and Border Protection instead.
For domestic travel, the recent addition of AskTSA saves multiple steps from searching the TSA webpage or visiting its social media accounts.
To start, simply text "Travel" to AskTSA (275872). The service provides automated responses 24 hours a day, and TSA experts are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.
Note that on a recent test run, we found answers to be in short supply late at night, and we have noticed extended answers during the daytime hours when the line is fully staffed.
The interface requires users to choose one of the following topics to get started:
- TSA PreCheck
- What can I bring?
- Identification
- Medical questions
- Damages/claims
- Hiring
- Other
We decided to try the "What can I bring?" section to get some packing help for the holidays.
Related: TSA liquids rule: What to know about 3-1-1 before you head to the airport
After we chose this category, the next question was whether we preferred to interact in English or Spanish. Next came a choice between "carry-on or personal bag" or "checked bag" luggage, and then we were presented with the following item categories:
- CBD products
- Electronic cigarettes
- Electronics
- Firearms
- Flammable aerosols
- Food
- Grooming items
- Knives
- Lighters
- Liquids
- Lithium batteries
- Powder baby formula
Here's how we fared while looking for packing tips for some popular items.
Sports equipment
First up was TPG contributor Ashley Kosciolek, who embarked on a multistop trip with ice skates and fishing lures in her carry-on bag.
When she checked in with AskTSA, it took several minutes for her to hear back about the skates, which is a time lag I experienced as well. Although two to three minutes certainly isn't long, it can definitely feel like the message might not have been received while you're staring at your phone.
This answer for ice skates offered the same information Ashley had found on the TSA website when she searched online.
For her fishhook inquiry, it took 13 hours (overnight) to get a reply. When answered, though, it seemed to have been sent by a person instead of a bot.
Gifts
Next, I asked one of the questions I hear most frequently from friends: Can I bring wrapped presents through security?
This is always a tricky one. I've personally seen an agent at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) unwrap a tightly secured set of candlesticks from Tiffany's, watching as layer after layer of Bubble Wrap was removed while the passenger in front of me became more and more distraught.
I've never wrapped a gift since (instead, I bring gift bags and tissue paper for quick gifting). However, I have since witnessed this again.
The official word is that the TSA "recommend(s)" waiting. It's easy to see why travelers could be confused by this directive.
Food
Readers frequently ask what TSA-approved foods can be brought through security. Clint Henderson, a principal spokesperson at TPG, sent a query to the TSA that I hadn't considered yet: Can I bring frozen turkey on a plane?
Luckily for Clint, he can bring his frozen turkey on board. This also applies to other frozen food, including butter, which I recently asked about, and even water. But note that any frozen item needs to remain in a solid state and not be soft or in liquid form to make it through security.
Related: Here's what Thanksgiving foods you can bring in your carry-on and what has to be checked
With more food questions, we had Becky Blaine, TPG's managing editor of newsletters, reach out to AskTSA.
Becky had pumpkin pie in mind when she queried "creamy" foods, one of the two categories (along with "solid") offered up for food questions.
When she replied "No" to whether she had received a satisfactory answer to her question from the automated system, she was informed that a "Social Care Specialist" would be in touch between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
While this answer was helpful, we were able to type in "pie" on the TSA "What Can I Bring?" webpage and received an answer immediately.
Bottom line
If you're not in a rush and want to know what you can pack, the AskTSA text message option is a helpful tool, especially if you want a personalized answer about an item that you're not sure how to categorize.
However, we were able to find information a bit faster simply by searching with Google for most items.
Related reading:
- Airline carry-on luggage size: Everything you need to know
- What to pack in a carry-on bag every time you travel
- 4 things the TSA really doesn't want you to bring on an airplane
- 5 things you should never pack in a checked bag — even though the airlines allow them
- Travel packing tips to save space in your luggage
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