Airplane Passengers Can Bring Some Foods Onboard With Them, TSA Says

HANOVER, MD — Airports nationwide will be jam-packed with flyers Christmas week, and some of those passengers are going to cart cookies, alcohol and other holiday goodies with them.

So brace yourself as Transportation Security Administration screeners try to educate airline customers about what foods can go in carry-on bags, and what must be checked. There are also rules around what gifts you can lug onto planes, so check ahead of your flight or consider shipping presents to their destination.

Holiday foods that can be carried through a TSA checkpoint include: fruitcake, cookies, cake, pies, chocolates, candy canes, fruit and nut baskets, spices, and ham (frozen or cooked).

The TSA says the following foods should be packed with checked baggage: eggnog, champagne, wine, sparkling apple cider, cranberry sauce (homemade or store-bought), preserves, jams and jellies (homemade or store-bought), and maple syrup.

AAA Mid-Atlantic said it does not expect concerns related to the omicron variant to significantly affect year-end travel since travel restrictions apply only to international travel — not domestic, leisure travel. Highways and airports will both be extremely busy from Thursday through New Year’s, the travel service said.

Most foods can be carried through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, but some items must be transported in checked baggage.

If it's a solid item — cheese, for example — then it can go through a checkpoint. However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it's larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag.

Food items often need some additional security screening, so it's a good idea to remove food items from a carry-on bag and place them in a bin for quicker screening at the checkpoint.

Travelers who are unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on or checked bag can check the TSA homepage, which has a "What can I bring? section to search for types of foods and how it can be handled on a flight.

Another option is for passengers to tweet to @AskTSA to ask how best to travel with a specific food item.

Many passengers plan to travel with gifts. TSA officials suggest you pack presents in gift bags or gift boxes instead of wrapping them. If a gift triggers an alarm, it will be opened by security officers to check what's inside.

Snow globes should be packed in a checked bag if the globe of water contains more than 3.4 ounces of liquid. As a rule of thumb, if the globe is smaller than a tennis ball, it is less than 3.4 ounces and so it is permitted to be carried through a checkpoint.

If you need to keep items cold during your trip, ice packs are permissible, but they must be frozen solid and not melted when they go through security screening.