Ahead of travel surge, TSA reminds passengers of items not allowed in carry-ons

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Ahead of an anticipated busy summer travel season, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants to remind passengers about things not allowed in carry-ons to keep the experience as touch-free as possible.

"We’ve already seen numbers that are equal to pre-pandemic levels at checkpoints across the country," said Sari Koshetz, spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration. 

Transportation officials at the Daytona Beach International Airport showed FOX 35 News items they’ve intercepted in carry-ons in recent weeks. 

Household items, tools, pocket knives, stun guns, an Airsoft gun, and even tiny guns they worry could scare passengers in the cabin. 

"At a distance, they might not realize that it’s not a real actual firearm but they could be threatened by it," she said. 

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Speaking of guns, the agency said it has seen an alarming trend of passengers coming to checkpoints with them. 

Koshetz said so far five months into this year, they’ve intercepted 202 at airports across Florida compared to a total of 528 in 2019 during busier pre-pandemic times.

"So we’re trending toward having the same amount of guns if not more across the state of Florida this year whereas at the very beginning of the year it was a very low volume of passengers," she said. 

And before you pack your grenade, like one someone actually tried to fly with, the TSA wants you to know it’s not allowed at all and could cause an evacuation.

"This is the type of item that you may not bring in your carry-on or your checked bag," she said.

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