Flying? Leave the saw at home
MORRISVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Though some items that people try to bring on planes are ridiculous, others are not. The TSA says Raleigh Durham International Airport is not an exception to the national trend.
At a show-and-tell at the airport Thursday, a table displayed a variety of items that travelers have attempted to board with in their carry-on bags.
Kimberly Seymour, a supervisor with the TSA at RDU, held up a hammer.
"A definite no-no, a definite no-no," she said.
She moved down the table to display a circular saw blade still in its original packaging.
"Saw blades, believe it or not, someone had this in their carry-on bag," she said.
Airports across the country see travelers attempting to bring guns, many of them loaded, in their carry-on bags. At RDU In 2015, 30 guns were found in carry-on bags. In 2016, that increased to 54. Already this year they've found 10 - including two found earlier this week.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the firearm must be taken to the airline check-in counter for proper firearm declaration procedures.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm on TSA.gov.
TSA says the biggest rule that folks break when traveling is the 311 rule, which pertains to the amount of liquids you're allowed to travel with.
If you travel a lot and want to get through security faster, Mike England, a spokesperson for the TSA, says the best thing travelers can do is to considering TSA pre-check.
"Ninety-nine percent of pre-check customers wait less than five minutes. They don't have to take their shoes off and they don't have to take their outerwear off," England said.
When asked about the new pat down system the TSA started enforcing earlier this month, England said that for security purposes he couldn't elaborate, but did say that most travelers would not notice a difference.
