Realize this might strike some as a simplistic, over-asked question but having been several years since last travel to St. Martin, was wondering what TSA allows as far as tanning lotions/liquids in carry on? Will we have to transfer to another 3-4oz. container? How about Bic lighters? Are those allowed in carry on? Plane change in Charlotte both ways.

BeachKitten answered your question about liquids. Bic lighters are now allowed, yes.

Thank you all and Happy New Year.

I did a carry on this week SXM/EWR and I'm TSA precheck...I got stopped both ways...going was a candle (which was allowed, but they couldn't tell what it was on the screen) coming into SXM was a unopened yogurt. It was 4 oz but he let it go...

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> While they considered allowing pen knives, I can attest that they will confiscate them. I lost a scrimshaw knife on my key chain this week. The worst part was I just had a gate pass to help with my MIL. I did not do my normal prep for a trip, and couldn't leave her unattended to run it back to my car. Grrrrr.

There was a proposal to stop confiscating small knives, but for reasons that still escape me the flight attendants union protested, and the TSA backed off. On the rule regarding such kives, mind you, not any level of consistent enforcement. I once had to abandon a keychain Swiss Army Knife (actually bought in Zurich, darn it!) in Cedar Rapids. Boston had missed it on the flight out. Sigh.

Funny story; I asked a flight attendant friend of mine to bring a couple of really nice cork-screws back from France. He wasn't allowed to bring them on the plane with him and had to mail them back to the US. Of course, since he worked in first class, there was already one waiting for him there. Apparently there is a critical mass of wine-opening-ability when it comes to airplanes! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

TLDR: check the TSA website before you leave, and if you have any doubts, leave it behind. Oh, and shoot an email to your local Federal representatives.

In a similar vein of <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />, Eric's boarding pass coming home from SXM on Wednesday was marked TSA pre-check, but there wasn't any TSA pre-check line?? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> Security line wasn't bad at all regardless, but that was funny.

Similar thing happened to me. The TSA made this big announcement that they were allowing cork screws, so I packed one in my carry-on. Going through security, an agent approached me and said I was carrying a knife in my carry-on. It wasn't a knife but the foil cutter on the cork screw. Needless to say, they confiscated it.

Upon my return home, I bought another cork screw, took it out to the garage, and ground off the foil cutter.

Next trip, the TSA again said they wanted to look in my carry-on, but this time they examined the cork screw and passed it as the 'knife' was gone.

As I recall there is no pre check in sxm even though the airlines will have it on your boarding pass since your on their ticketing system as precheck approved.

I actually didn't think about the foil cutter on the corkscrew. We don't carry one these days, as where we stay always has one.

The removal of shoes continues to have me puzzled. I realize passengers had a brush with an attempted shoe bomber but my goodness how many years later and we are still padding around the TSA check point in stocking feet... worse yet bare feet? One would think the detection devices could detect any type of Rube Goldberg device strapped to a shoe?

One would think so. And the TSA was thinking of using a device that blew a puff of air to pick up any particles that might reveal explosives. But that machine lost out to the modern nude-o-scopes (I heard rumors that the leaders of the TSA had invested in the company that makes those machines: can anyone confirm this?) Reason has nothing to do with what the TSA does and makes passengers do. It is just 'security theater'.

Jiminboston, you always make me laugh! Nude-o-scopes. Bill O'Riley would be proud.

We had TSA precheck and got stopped for a block of cheese! Lol At least I didn't have to take my shoes off!!

I didn't make that one up ('nude-o-scopes'), but I am afraid I don't know who did.

Just remember to not take any produce home with you. My wife made friends with a fruit sniffing dog in customs on our return once. She forgot she had an apple (that we bought in the USA) in the bottom of her bag the whole trip and they found it on our return. Pain in the rear having to have your bags scanned because of an apple

Cheese has always got our checked baggage opened for inspection. According to a TSA inspector it has the same density on the scanner as C4 explosive....

We had a wheel of gouda in our checked bag on the way home this time and apparently it wasn't opened, because we didn't get a TSA 'love letter' this time, although we did on the way down.. I suspect it was because of the Christmas lights in our luggage and the extension cords! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Oh how fun, that you had the forethought to bring them! I'm sure it made BSV even more festive. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> I can totally see how that might look "interesting" on an X-ray.....

Hubby is searched often...a Rubbermaid spatula where the plastic/rubber part doesn't show up on X-ray, so it looks like a sharp metal shiv <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> candles leftover from an island dinner party in his shoes.

I hate when he's the been the one at the lower gates upon SXM departure that is "selected" for search and pat-down in front of everyone. Out on those open tables. It feels invasive. They've even made me leave him, get on the bus to the plane alone and board. I was pi**ed and quite upset that day. Rough end to our trip, that we couldn't stay together. Was crying on the plane....when he finally boarded (last) everyone clapped. They knew what he'd just been put through. Several others on board commiserated that it had been them in the past. I sure needed a glass of wine once we got in the air!

We took several "Christmasy" things with us. What was aggravating was that we bought a brand new set of icicle lights before we left to take down and when we got them out of the box and plugged them in, half of them didn't work! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> We put them up anyway! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> We fiddled around with them a bit and couldn't get them to work. We took some pictures, if I ever get around to posting them. Gave them to the maid when we left and hope maybe she would be able to get them to work..

College age son was departing for a scuba trip, had small jars of peanut butter & jelly and a loaf of bread for sustenance, TSA took the peanut butter & jelly and left him with the bread loaf.

We have been lucky and have not had the gate check thing in quite a while.

But we seem to get love letters from the TSA on the way down more often than not! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> I knew as soon as I saw the bag on the carousel at SXM that we would find a "love note". Seems they are not as careful about not getting that little part of the shirt inside the seam (the old aluminum channels, no zippers on this thing at all). We have an old American Tourister hard sided suitcase. The monkeys have never destroyed it yet (remember the old commercials) and I have seen it at the very bottom of a luggage container and everything has always arrived intact.

Just like you Eric, when at the carousel in SXM I can just look at my bag and can tell that it was opened by TSA, even before I open it up and see their lovely letter......