It’s simple and clever, but is it a good idea?
There’s a new TikTok travel hack making the rounds, but it may not be as useful as it is creative.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules, you can’t bring more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml) of liquids through airport security. However, travelers have found an innovative way to avoid dumping their water before queuing: freezing it.
Ice is considered solid by the TSA. You can take anything that’s frozen through security as long as it is not slushy. “Frozen liquid items are allowed through the checkpoint as long as they are frozen solid when presented for screening. If frozen liquid items are partially melted, slushy, or have any liquid at the bottom of the container, they must meet 3-1-1 liquids requirements.”
If it melts, you can always drink it and hope the queue isn’t too long. But here’s another thing: the final decision is always up to the agent.
@countingcountriesBye bye $10 airport water bottles 👋🏽♬ Mission Impossible (Main Theme) – Favorite Movie Songs
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This means you can take your solid ice with you as long as it doesn’t melt on the way to the airport or during screening. Considering how expensive it is to buy a bottle of water at the airport, it might make sense to bring your own. However, skeptics are asking, why make the effort? You can just bring a reusable bottle and fill it after clearing security at a water-filling station.
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Some travelers say they bring ice in an insulated bottle and then let the ice melt and fill it up with water later.
Either way, the ice trend might come in handy during the summer heat when airline disruptions leave people baking at airports or on the tarmac waiting to fly. As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, this hack could help keep you cool.
Related: Summer Temperatures Are Baking Delayed Flights — And the Passengers Inside
But Here’s Where Things Get Complicated
Though this trick might work in the United States, it may not apply internationally. For example, the U.K. doesn’t allow frozen items in hand luggage apart from medical essentials and baby food. Canada might also be stricter with solids that can become liquids. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority warns, “Food over 100 ml that is normally a liquid or gel but has been frozen solid will not be allowed to pass through security in your carry-on. In order for food to be considered a solid, it must be solid at room temperature.” So before you invest time in this hack, check with the airport you’re traveling through.
What’s Considered a Liquid in the United States?
The Sunday after Thanksgiving was the busiest day recorded by the TSA, with more than three million people screened at U.S. airports. Throughout the week, the government agency provided advice to travelers on what to pack and how.
The agency invited questions about Thanksgiving food last week. One of the questions it fielded was (no surprise) about cranberry sauce: Is it considered liquid? Yes, anything that spills, spreads, or sprays is considered liquid. So, for more than 3.4 ounces of sauce, the rule applies: It needs to travel in a single, quart-sized bag with other liquids. All the rest goes in the checked bag.
Not sure if your food can fly? Gobble up all the Thanksgiving travel tips using our “What Can I Bring?” tool. It’s stuffed with all the info you need to fly this holiday season!
Fly on over to: https://t.co/S3mtG5xIAT#HolidayTravel pic.twitter.com/y8MoR3obNB
— TSA (@TSA) November 19, 2024
Related: California Considers Banning TSA Line-Jumping Services
