Can I Take [Name Any Item] Through TSA Airport Security? 4 Ways to Ask from Home

The AAA, which tracks travel patterns, predicts nearly 8 million people will fly this upcoming holiday season.

And 7.99 million of them will be in front of you, slowing down the security line with their bad packing choices.

There's no call for that. Unlike some national security forces we've encountered on our travels, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is not some implacable monolith on high that refuses to transmit its intentions to the public. The agency has outreach officers whose job is to answer your burning carry-on packing questions well before you arrive at the airport for your flight.

When the TSA seizes a forbidden item from your luggage, that's the moment to pause and reflect on how you could have avoided the situation by asking a TSA information officer before you packed. The TSA doesn't keep this information secret—the rules are available through multiple methods. 

The best way to start is by checking the long list of common items posted on the TSA's official website.

The TSA's mobile app, MyTSA, which is available from both Apple's App Store (iPhone and iPad) and Google Play, has the same "Can I Bring" info page that you'd find on the TSA website. (You don't have to enter any personal information for the app to work.) 

Unfortunately, the MyTSA app doesn't include a chat mechanism for posing questions to a live agent—it just refers you to the other contact methods listed in this post. But the app will tell you what the projected wait times will be at the TSA-operated checkpoint for any airport at any hour that you choose. 

Sometimes, the item you're looking for isn't explicitly covered on the TSA website or mobile app. That's when you need to step up your airport pre-game and find someone at the TSA to actually ask.

Method #1: Via social media

Take a picture of your item (or just type your question) and send it to @TSA on Threads or @AskTSA on the Social Media Platform Formerly Known as Twitter, or X.

A real live person will answer your question between 8am and 6pm Eastern time—often with a gentle dad joke supplied free as part of the service.

Questions are usually answered within 3 hours, as the below example from Threads shows. 

Method #2: Via Facebook Messenger

The TSA knows some passengers favor Facebook, so the agency answers questions there as well. The TSA Facebook account is Facebook.com/TSA.

You can ask your hot packing questions to a live person by using Facebook Messenger. For best results, ask during business hours on the East Coast. 

Sometimes, the TSA uses its platform on Facebook to post genial, points-for-trying memes, like the one below about whether you can bring wrapped gifts through airport security.

Method #3: Via text by phone

You can also send the TSA a question by phone by texting “Travel” (without the quotation marks) to AskTSA (275-872). 

That brings up a list of seven potential menu items, including TSA PreCheck, What's Allowed? Identification, Medical Questions, or Not Listed. You choose the one that pertains to your question. 

"What's Allowed?" is #2, and if you choose that, you can pick between carry-on and checked baggage. (Carry-on is #1). 

The text system is automated and works best for typical items. When items fall into a grey area, this method is not as helpful and there's no way to backtrack if you make an incorrect entry.

We wanted to ask whether pâté spread would be allowed on a flight, but when we told the system we were asking about food, the only two options we could choose from were "creamy food" and "solid food." Since pâté is generally neither creamy nor solid, that left the automated text system without a clear answer.

Fortunately, when the system hits a dead end, you get the option to continue the chat with a "live agent" (8am to 6pm Eastern U.S.). 

Only 8 minutes after we texted to continue our conversation with a "live agent," we were texted a reply (without an agent I.D. or dad jokes, sadly) that contained a link to a 76-second YouTube video covering spreadable items. Short answer: No more than 3.4 ounces of pâté are allowed in carry-ons because it's spreadable.
 

Method #4: Via voice call

The TSA's regular Contact Center is at 866/289-9673, or it can be emailed at TSA-ContactCenter@tsa.dhs.gov. That works best daily between the hours of 8am and 6pm Eastern.

The TSA also works directly with the public through its TSA Cares program, which was set up for travelers with specific needs.

If you have any questions about screening procedures for medicines or medical equipment, you can talk to TSA Cares before you head off for the airport. (We've covered the perks of this program before in our feature about flying with a dementia patient.)

Call TSA Cares toll-free at 855/787-2227 (weekdays 8am–11pm Eastern; weekends/holidays 9am–8pm Eastern) at least 72 hours before you travel. TSA Cares can also arrange help at the checkpoint for travelers with specific needs.

The TSA wants the security lanes to flow as quickly and as smoothly as you do, and it gives you plenty of options for settling your burning questions long before it's too late and you're delaying an airport terminal full of people on their last nerve.