How do plastic bags for liquids make flying safer?
Asked by
Avinite (
93
)
July 30th, 2009
I just stepped off the plane half an hour ago on a short flight. All of the safety precautions that are taken I can understand, if not agree with, except this one. Why do you have to put liquids over 100ml into a plastic bag, even if it’s not in the hand luggage?
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9 Answers
I believe the rationale of this rule is that liquids are kept in these bags so they more easily identifiable by TSA. I don’t think it has anything to do with flight safety.
Wait. So in your checked bag, you’re saying that any liquid over 100 mL must be in a bag? Is this actually a requirement by the TSA?
I just bag everything so they don’t explode all over my clothes. I never thought it was a requirement.
Homeland security is always fighting last year’s battle. This one is supposed to keep you from carrying twwo different chemicals which, when mixed, can form an explosive.
In my opinion it is all merely an effort by government to appear to be doing something to protect you, when actually no-one know what form an actual attack may take.
The fact that they make grandma take her shoes off at the airport fails to make me feel safer, but it’s meant to do just that.
I can’t find any TSA regulation about bagging liquids in checked luggage. But here’s how they explain the requirement that all liquids in carry-on luggage be bagged in a 1 qt zip-lock bag:
“TSA and our partners conducted extensive explosives testing since August 10 and determined that these items, in limited quantities, are safe to bring aboard an aircraft. The one bag limit per traveler limits the total amount each traveler can bring. Consolidating the bottles into one bag and X-raying separately enables security officers to examine the declared items. By reducing clutter in the carry-on bag, security officers can more easily find prohibited items within the bag.”
In other words 1 qt bag requirement limits the total quantity of liquid and makes the process of removing the items and passing them through the x-ray separately less cumbersome.
It’s so you don’t make a bomb .
If it’s not a carry on bag you don’t have too. If you check your bag at the ticket counter you can have more liquid than 100ml and it doesn’t have to be in a bag at all. A bottle of liquor comes to mind.
As @missingbite says… you’re limited on liwuids in your handluggage: nothing in a container over 100 mil, all to fit in a single transparent bag of not more than 1 liter.
There is no rule for bags around liquids in your check-in luggage.
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