The Airport Security Cheat Sheet: 25 Tips to Minimize Hassles and Speed Things Up
By Christina Laun
Anyone who has visited an airport in the past few years knows that airport security, though a necessity, can be a huge hassle. Long lines, pat downs, and even the occasional full luggage search can break down even the most stalwart of travelers and sometimes even results in missed flights. While you may not be able to do a thing about long lines or random security checks, there are ways you can make airport security a little less painful for yourself and speed up the process as much as possible so that you can get through and back on your way to your next exciting (or perhaps not so exciting) destination.
- Check to see what items are banned. Before you embark on your journey, check with your airline or the TSA to see what you’ll be allowed to bring in a carry on, what you’ll have to stow in a checked in bag, and what simply isn’t allowed to be brought on a flight.
- Remove every possible metal item from your person before walking through the metal detector. There are any number of things that you could be carrying that might set off the metal detector and hold up the line. Empty out your pockets, including your wallet, remove your belt, and any kind of jewelry you might be wearing. To speed things along, prepare before you reach the checkpoint by putting your items into a small clear plastic baggy.
- Wear easy to remove shoes. You would think that most people would know to wear easily removable shoes on a flight by now, but there are always those few that are laced and buckled up to a ridiculous degree and end up holding up the line. Don’t be that person, wear slip ons or a comfortable alternative.
- Prepare your electronics. To go through security you must remove your phones, PDAs and laptops from your bags and place them in a separate container. Have them stowed in your luggage in such a way that makes this easy, and pull them out before reaching the front of the line. You should also be prepared to turn them on, so make sure your laptop has at least a little charge remaining.
- Make sure all your luggage has appropriate tags. While it may or may not be checked, make sure it’s clear that your luggage in fact belongs to you. Unsuspecting travelers could be duped into carrying dangerous items aboard, so clearly mark your bags with your name and phone number your your own tags or ones that the airline provides so that there won’t be any confusion.
- Put your belongings on the conveyor as soon as possible. Don’t be that person who gets to the front of the line and then seems surprised to find that they must empty their pockets, remove their shoes, and take out their laptop. Be prepared when you get to the front and put your stuff in those little bins as soon as you get close enough.
- Keep a photo ID handy. You should always have a photo ID, whether a drivers license or a passport, in an easily accessible place. Security may check to make sure that the name on the ID matches the name on your ticket, so purchasing a wallet for travel that holds both can greatly simplify matters.
- Don’t lock checked bags. While TSA approved locks are permitted, regular old suitcase locks are not, as bags may need to be checked or searched. To prevent locks from being cut off and compromising the security of your items within, not to mention holding up your bag, purchase an approved lock ahead of time.
- Dress appropriately. This may sound like a silly bit of advice, but you’ll save yourself a great deal of trouble if you aren’t wearing something that just screams “troublemaker” or makes you look suspicious. You’ll undoubtedly be subject to greater hassles from security and maybe even your airline, as passengers have been removed from planes for wearing clothes that were too sexy or offensive. It may be unfair that security gets to police your fashion choices, but you’ll move through much more quickly if you work with it and not against it.
- Consider joining the Clear program. Frequent travelers may benefit from joining a program like Clear (for a fee, of course) to help them speed more quickly through security lines. Members have their IDs, photographs, fingerprints and iris images scanned beforehand and are given a special pass which they present along with their fingerprints to security fast lanes. You’ll still have to go through all the scanners, but you could speed things up by about 30%.
- Don’t make small talk with others before you get through security. While this doesn’t advocate being rude to your fellow passengers, it’s best not to make friends at the airport, at least not until you’ve actually got onto your flight. Many people may seem nice, but have ulterior motives and when they ask you if anyone else might have handled or put something in your luggage, you’ll want to be able to definitively say no.
- Bring along some clear plastic baggies. You can help speed up through the line by making use of some simple sandwich baggies when going through security. Place all allowable liquids in your carry on into one, as well as all items from your pockets into another so they’ll be easy for security to check and easy for you to keep track of.
- Keep your medications in their original containers. While medications are exempt from many of the rules that apply to other small items, you can still come under questioning if you store your medication in a day-by-day container instead of in its original packaging. Make it easy on yourself by bringing along the packaging that has your name on it, even if it’s bulkier than your other pill container.
- Remove your coat and shoes before you’re the next in line. When you see that you’re approaching the front of the line, begin removing your jacket and shoes. You might have to walk a few feet in your socks, but you’ll be ready to go when your turn comes and hopefully get in and out of the scanners quickly.
- Allow yourself some extra time. Airport security, even at its speediest, can take a long time on busy traveling days. To avoid the hassle of missed flights, arrive at least 2 hours before you plane leaves, 3 if you want to be safe, and try to arrange connecting flights with enough time in between so you won’t be left behind if you’re delayed.
- Don’t wear a lot of jewelry. Keep it simple when traveling and save your best jewelry for another day. Some jewelry like watches frequently set off the metal detectors, and with increased sensitivity of the machines, other things that might have passed previously will start the bells a-ringing as well. It’s better to stow these items in your carry on or personal bag.
- Don’t try to be funny. The hard and fast rule at the airport is that nothing involving your luggage, you or anyone else being a danger to a flight even in the most ridiculous manner is funny. You can expect to be greatly delayed or even arrested if you try to get a laugh out of security personnel with this kind of talk, as even a baby was thrown off of a recent flight for suggesting that a plane go “bye-bye”.
- Leave gifts unwrapped. If you’ve bought gifts for others on your trip make sure to leave them unwrapped in your luggage. If security needs to check them, they’ll have to tear apart that lovely gift wrap instead of your little niece or nephew.
- Watch bags very carefully. This should go without saying, but it bears repeating. Always have your bag with you at all times, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable it may be. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
- If you’re not sure, ask before you get there. If you aren’t sure of the regulations for international travel, the size of your carry on, or just what kind of liquids are allowed on a plane, check the website of the airport you’re departing from or ask your airline. If you’re still unsure, give them a call. It’s better to check beforehand than to get held up debating the issue when you’ve got a flight to catch.
- Avoid duty free items. While the appeal of tax free alcohol and cologne may be hard to resist, when traveling internationally these can cause you a huge hassle. Duty free items in Europe are packaged in tamper evident bags or boxes which are allowed to easily travel between cities. Unluckily for US bound travelers, this type of packaging won’t pass muster, so if you’ve got a connecting flight you’ll have to find a way to store your unacceptable liquids in your checked luggage, which is a huge hassle and likely not worth the few dollars you saved. Avoid purchasing items like these until you’re safely on your way out of the airport.
- Limit food items. While there are many food items that are allowed on board without too much question, there are those that skirt the line of being too gel-like to be allowed through. So while it might seem like a good idea to bring along some mashed potatoes from your Thanksgiving dinner, it’s likely that they won’t be allowed through. Save yourself the trouble and limit the food you bring or check beforehand to see if it will be permitted.
- Know the rules when traveling internationally. While many of the rules are the same, make sure there aren’t any special circumstances or rules that apply when you travel to another country. Security threats cause airport guidelines to change frequently, so stay informed even when you’re away.
- Fly with airlines that are forgiving. No matter what you do, sometimes there is no way around being held up in security. To avoid a ridiculous amount of headache and hassle, fly with an airline that makes it easy to switch to another flight in the event that this happens. Sometimes this might cost a little more, but it can be well worth it not to get stuck languishing in an airport.
- Use common sense. Above all, don’t be a moron about security. It isn’t going to get any less tight anytime soon, so do your best to work with the system instead of against it by being prepared, knowing the rules, and not doing incredibly stupid things like joking about bombs.