Breeze Through TSA: Top 10 Airport Security Tricks

I am getting tsa precheck.

Wow, where is it that they give you free bags? I haven't seen this anywhere. Please let me know :)

Ahh..TSA-Pre✔️…..such possibility but often such agony. If you travel early in the AM…often TSA-P is not manned….or you are treated as tho it is just an adjunct regular line. Take off shoes, belt, sweater etc…stuff out of your luggage, no jewelry…..this is the product I paid money for?? Small airports are mostly the culprits in this, from my experience….and I understand the difficulties of staffing and such. It’s still a stinky way to start a trip, when you are expecting an easy screening experience and get the opposite. And you people traveling with pets? Keep them under control and know the rules you have to follow…not everyone is entranced with the concept of Browser, Muffin or Pentunia sharing the flight…I’m talking to you, Ms. Whiskers!!💕

I am not an experienced flyer and need some help and would greatly appreciate every ones feedback. My question is, for small electronics, if I put them in a small ziplock bag; can they stay in there ( while I just put the entire ziplock bag in a bin) or do I have to take them out the ziplock bag? Thank 🙇 you.

I started using the compressed bags. And electric organizer pouches, and zip ties. Hehehe

You live in Canada... I live in California... Please come to (dumbass) San Francisco and I will love you all right wrong!

Another "hack" that won't necessarily save you time, but could save you headaches, is to copy all of your important documents and keep them in two places (maybe even three). So keep your ticket, passport and driver's license with you as you will need this at TSA and the gate possibly, but also make photo copies of these documents as well and put one copy in your carry-on and if you have a checked bag, put a copy in there too. That way if your passport is lost or stolen while out of the country, this can make getting a replacement or getting through security easier as you have basically proof you had a passport and DL. If you must bring a copy of your birth certificate for some reason (for example for kids) do the same as well. Doesn't hurt and takes a few minutes but could save you a lot of headache and time should something get lost or stolen. Again, this won't save you time at the airport though.....

This is also strongly recommended if you travel abroad as many people do not always carry their passports with them when out and about (I would get a non-TSA certified luggae lock ONLY for when you're at your destination so you can lock your bag and people can't use a TSA key -- which you can buy online -- to open it, but only use it while NOT at the airport). But my point here is you can keep your passport in your hotel room, but I would carry a copy of it with you while you're out just in case it gets stolen, but lock your bag while it's in the room, and maybe even "hide" it in the closest or next to the bed so it's not visible to people when the door is open.

Oddly enough I have never had to wait more than say 60 minutes (at worst) in a TSA wait line. Part of that is I try to travel at undesireable times, like red eyes, when airports are generally slower or less crowded, or early in the morning (although sometimes if there are good sales, the early flights can lead to a longer wait time). Even flying interntionally from Chicago to Switzerland about 13 years ago, I was dropped off, through security, and waiting at the gate within 45 minutes (this also included checking a bag) which I thought was amazing, also considering it was O'Hare Airport which is typically a busy airport (and this was about 5pm in the afternoon during the week which usually is a typically busy time for air travel...) I mean part of it may have been that I didn't have much on me as carry-on except an empty water bottle, laptop and my phone, and a few other minor things, but nothing that would actaully draw attention at TSA so that may have helped speed through the lines. But regardless it was quick, and i think the next longest was maybe flying back from Las Vegas. Wait times were a little under an hour, but I actually got to the airport early (it was a mid-afternoon flight too).

I would say if you DON"T want to print your ticket, or you forget, at least take a screen shot of it so you can present it at the gate without fumbling around. Plus if you lose cell service for some reason, having a screen shot of the ticket (so they can see everything, including the barcode) will make it easier. I have done this a number of times and I have never been asked to actually look up the ticket in the app at the gate, they just scan the screen shot and it's good to go. I do try to print a boarding pass if possible ,but sometimes if I'm on a multi-segment trip (especailly a return trip where I've been staying in a hote lfor example) it's not always an option to print a ticket before going to the airport, so the screenshot works well as an alternative.

Thank you for the great tips! I needed this exact question answered: how do I get a printed ticket and when? You nailed it: when you do precheck-in. Excellent video!

In PDX, you HAVE to take off your belt, and footwear for the rotating scanner. Empty all your pockets, remove all jewelry, basically your your clothing, and socks are the only things you can take through the scanner. I did ask about tooth fillings that are silver, and they said it was not an issue.

Get your TSA pre check it lasts for 5 yrs

Got bored too much talking

Why is there a top less Asian girl on the Ask TSA home page??

It never fails when we're boarding the plane, someone always has a phone issue when trying to display their boarding ticket. We live in an age where people depend too heavily on electronics. I ALWAYS print out a paper boarding pass just in case. I also save the email on my phone with the necessary documents to board the plane. Great video!

I refuse to throw my sunscreen 100 spf and 200 ml aloe Vera out. I bring a signed note from my dermatologist as it’s medically necessary. I have done this in the past and it works. They can test it all they want, but I’m bringing it. Only issue is language barrier in other countries when I did this. But it still worked.

I'm still really confused about the sweater thing... is it not normal to wear a sweater with nothing under it sometimes? Am I just weird? I've never had any issues with it. Unless maybe you mean a hoodie/hooded sweatshirt type thing?

I always put my liquids (they really should say liquids/gels/pastes so everyone is more clear on the rule) in a Ziploc type bag. It keeps them organized and prevents a big mess if they leak. (I haven't had one leak in quite awhile though. No problems ever since I got some refillable airless pump bottles from Amazon!) I don't bother taking it out of my carry on bag anymore. I haven't been asked to do so in years. And if the ziploc bag is still clean and in good shape when the trip is over, I just toss it back into my suitcase to use again on the next trip.

Can i put as many 3.4 oz containers that i can fit into 1 quart size of bag to go through TSA?

Thank you 😊

I love using packaging cubs. Make it much easier when we get to our destination to unpacked.

As far as I know TSA Pre-Check is only available in the USA. True?

I keep saying it, get TSA PRECHECK!

How can a family of 11 people pack for a 5 day vacation

Can someone tell me if you are allowed to put chapstick in your carry on?

just as a suggestion, 'cause i've had got through that - it's even no problem if you split your items up into 2 bags. on my travels throug euriope, it wasn't a problem, neither was it on a trip to the Us - but, to be fair, the amounts of liquids were never higher than 300ml per bag ('cause it needs space).

other point - Food. Look up what is allowed and what not - TSA don't directly looked for that (and didn't even asked me), but - due a fail from myself - i had a "food-item", what was restricted and taken out from TSA after getting into the US. we could handle that easy and on a good level; so, when taking food with you, look up what's allowed and what not. from one of the agents i just heard "try next time to eat it before landing", if you take something with you and forgot it.

America needs highspeed rail..

I use compression bags and love them

You can separate your liquids. For example, you can have your carry on with liquids and a purse/briefcase with your other liquids. I've been to several airports in multiple states and I've never been given a TSA liquid bag. I would like one though. I also have never been told to take my food out. Definitely always put my laptop in last. Oh and another thing, one time I put my laptop in my check in luggage. When I unpacked, I had a paper note from TSA that said they opened my luggage and the paper was in the laptop. When I opened the laptop, I saw the not. But these tips are great!

A lot of these are helpful for Canadian domestic travels as well.

👍🏾

I’ve been checked at TSA twice the last three times I’ve traveled, only to find that there was no issue after all. I hadn’t heard of packing cubes at those times and I wish I had. I had to totally repack right in the open with all the travelers walking by. Very embarrassing…
So, now that I have my new best friends, (my packing cubes), I won’t get stopped anymore, I’m sure.
If I do, no biggie.
I highly recommend them to everyone I know who are traveling.
Instead of waiting to get liquid bags from TSA, I put mine in my personal item right where it’s easily assessable to put it in the bin. Then I pop it back in that or my suitcase. It seems like a lot of work to do this any other way.

Does that beautiful, fluffy dog in the background have any TSA tips?

Cool dog!

Traveling is stressful if you don’t want to be stressed stay home 😂

Can you bring full size shampoo and conditioner in your check in bag?

Can you please tell me, where you bought your packing cubes? Or maybe you can link them? Thank you so much :)

10000000% agree get pre check. Life is soooooo much easier!!

Simple things like having a good attitude and not looking for complications can help. Just seeing things more positively can make things go smoother.

Airport Security, IS NOT essential, Never was; other than keeping Stupid people from walking into props, or landing aircraft. It is a fabricated organization to make stupid people feel secure.

Always gym shoes

Food: You can't take anything through TSA that would be even similar to a liquid or gel... no peanut butter, jelly, solid honey etc. They will get taken away, don't even try. You can put them in your checked bags. You can take stuff like sandwiches and dry foods.

I dont know if related to this but i have a question. If I plan to travel internationally, can i use my US drivers license to book online? My US passport is still in process though

So all this going paperless doesn't save anything because most times you need a hard copy. It just shifts the cost of the paper copy from the company to the customer.

My two sons graduated from ITB. They gave me three MRE’s to bring home to try. They were in my carry on bag. Never thought about. They ended up pulling my bag to check. They let me go with them. Smaller airport and I was the only passenger at the time, may have helped 🤔.

Good tips but nothing makes air travel pleasant any more.

Do they always open and go through your personal item? If I'm bringing a small backpack that I have packed precisely are they going to open it and rummage through it even if I've taken everything out that needs to be scanned separately?

Being an older person, I stop and slip off my shoes before getting in the security line and get everything ready so I can quickly get though the line. Then on the other side I put on a clean pair of socks before putting my shoes back on. I don’t want all that stuff on my sock in my shoes.