A woman travelling to Philadelphia was found to have packed more than 80 prohibited items in her carry-on bag, stunning Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers.
At around 10 p.m. in Terminal 4 at Los Angeles International Airport, a TSA officer flagged the woman’s bag for a check after seeing multiple prohibited items on the X-ray image, according to the TSA.
Inside the carry-on bag, the officer found 82 consumer grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and one canister of pepper spray.
The contents of a traveler’s carry-on bag containing multiple prohibited items discovered by TSA officers at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, December 15, 2024. The carry-on bag contained 82 consumer grade fireworks, three knives,… The contents of a traveler’s carry-on bag containing multiple prohibited items discovered by TSA officers at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, December 15, 2024. The carry-on bag contained 82 consumer grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and one canister of pepper spray.
TSA/TSA
Newsweek has contacted the TSA press office out of hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Jason Pantages, Federal Security Director for TSA at LAX, expressed serious concerns over the discovery. “The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning,” he said. “Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.”
What To Know
After the contents of the woman’s bag was unveiled, the TSA notified the Los Angeles World Airport police department and officers responded to the security checkpoint and interviewed the passenger. The airport bomb squad also responded and confiscated the fireworks.
The woman’s luggage contained a considerable number of fireworks, which are never allowed on board an aircraft in carry-on or checked-in baggage.
Knives and replica firearms should only be packed in checked-in luggage, so should not have been in the woman’s carry-on bag.
In terms of the pepper spray, the TSA noted that one 4-ounce container of the spray is permitted in checked-in baggage, if it is equipped with a safety mechanism.
Although, some airlines do not allow passengers to travel with pepper spray, so the TSA encouraged travelers to contact their individual airline to check.
Self-defense sprays that contain more than two percent by mass of tear gas are prohibited even in checked-in baggage.
What People Are Saying
“This traveler should have followed TSA’s tried and true advice – unpack your bag before you pack it to ensure you don’t bring any prohibited items to the security checkpoint,” Pantages said.
“We are in the midst of the holiday travel season when security checkpoints will be busy everywhere,” he added.
What’s Next
The TSA reminded travelers that they can downland the “MyTSA” app and use the “What Can I Bring?” feature to check what they can and can’t travel with. Travelers can also take a picture of an item and send it to @AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook Messenger for real-time assistance.
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