Carry On Liquids Restrictions

Sadly, traveling with personal hygiene products is no longer an easy task. A forgotten bottle of perfume at the bottom of your purse can turn into a 4 man investigation at the security check point. The good news is, the rules for traveling with liquids are the same across all US based airlines, so once you get it down you will be a lot less likely to have trouble getting through security.

What is this 3-1-1 business?
You’ll hear it and see it all over the airport: 3-1-1! What it means is 3 ounce bottles in a 1 quart clear resealable bag, 1 bag per passenger.

Each liquid must be stored in a 3oz (or smaller) plastic bottle. There is no limit to the number of bottles, but they must all fit inside a 1 quart size resealable plastic bag. Don’t bother trying to cram extra bottles in- if the bag cannot lay flat or close properly, you are going to run into trouble with security.

Each passenger is allowed one plastic bag. This bag must be taken out and X-rayed separately from all of your other items.

Exceptions:

The 3-1-1 rule applies to all basic items such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc. However, exceptions are made for the following liquids:

When traveling with any of these items you must put them in separate clear plastic bags and declare them at the security checkpoint where they will be subject to inspection. The exact quantities allowed are not specified, airlines generally stick to the “within reason” rule when it comes to passing up the 3oz mark.

If you travel with the 3-1-1 rule in mind, you should not have any problems. Just remember: when in doubt either don’t bring it or pack it in your carry on.