Haven't been on a plane for 14 years! Help me understand some stuff...?

Question

When we arrive at check-in 2 hours early - what kind of foods/drinks can we bring with us?
I'd like to bring our own food for snacks/flight/breakfast. The whole 3.5 ounces things has me confused when it comes to bringing food?

What sort of electronic devices are allowed ON the plane?

Answer 1

The 3-1-1 rule is this:



Any liquid/gel items that you take in your carry-on bag or personal item must be in containers 3.4oz/100ml or smaller, and they must all be placed in a single 1qt Ziploc baggie. You are allowed only 1 baggie of these items per traveler. It must be taken out of your carry-on at security. So this would include liquid/gel toiletry items, such as lotion, liquid makeup, hand sanitizer, lip gloss, toothpaste, etc. It would also apply to food items like yogurt, applesauce, etc. You can buy a drink after you pass through security, but you cannot take drinks through security.



You can take other types of food with you though. I regularly take fruit, sandwiches, crackers, granola, chips, etc. I've never had any trouble.



As for electronics, you can have any small electronic on during the flight - laptops, tablets, phones, e-readers, DVD players, etc. Anything with a signal must be set to Airplane mode (like your phone). Large electronics, like laptops and DVD players, must be stowed during takeoff and landing. Most airlines now allow you to use small electronics, like handheld items, at all points during the flight, including takeoff and landing.

Answer 2

Each passenger can take as much liquid as you wish (restricted only by the weight restrictions for luggage) in your checked baggage. I recommend putting them inside plastic bags and/or removing the cap and covering with saran wrap then replacing the cap just in case the container leaks.



In your luggage you carry on with you, liquids are restricted to 3.4 ounces or less (the container, too- you can not take a half filled 6 ounce container) and you can carry as much as you can fit inside one quart size ziplock bag.



You can take any electronics that fit inside your carry on or personal item onto the plane with you - phones, laptops, tablets, cameras, etc.

Answer 3

The liquids restrictions applies to contained items such as liquids, gels, and aerosols. (See link below.)



http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/3-1-1-liquids-rule



If you are intending on brining consumables through the security checkpoint, solid foods is not a problem. However, items such as drinks, gel-type foods in containers (i.e. peanut butter, jam, salad dressing) is restricted to container size no larger than 3.4 oz. (100 ml.). As such you will want to consider placing these items exceeding the restriction into checked baggage. (See link below.)



http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/traveling-food-or-gifts





For electronic items, you are allowed to bring aboard any device on board as carry-on. If you intend to on bringing large electronic items (laptop, game console, etc.), you will need to remove it from the carry-on bag and run it through the x-ray in a bin by itself with nothing above or below it. This will give the x-ray operator an uncluttered view of the item. For small electronic items (music player, digital camera, cellphone), keep it stowed in the carry-on baggage.





Additional information you may find useful:

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/prohibited-items (Check out the "When I Fly, Can I Bring My.." search tool. Put in the name of an item and watch the results.)

Answer 4

How far ahead of your flight time depends on your airport and traffic getting to the airport; some smaller airports, it's fine to be there one hour before your flight whereas a really busy, spread out airport like Chicago O'Hare, you may want to be there earlier. Also, you don't have to be as early for domestic flights as international flights where you have to go through customs. Either way, you still need to go through security screening and you can bring almost any type of food except certain agricultural products like citrus fruits which have the possibility of having fruit-borne larva that can decimate fruit industries in other states. However, you can't bring foods from outside the airport that are largely liquid like soup or sodas unless you bought it at the airport. This means a large jar of jam, hot sauce, or gravy would not be allowed.



The 3.4 oz. liquid and gel limit is this: in your carry on luggage, you can only bring containers of no more than 3.4 oz. size of shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, liquid mascara, and other toiletries; these carry on liquids and gels must all fit into a single quart-size plastic ziptop bag that you have to take out of your bags at TSA screening. If you brought a 16 oz. bottle of water from outside the airport and tried to take it through security screening for example, the agents would throw it away because it is more than 3.4 oz. allowable size for carry on.



You can bring laptops, tablets, smartphones, portable video games, mp3 players, dvd players on the plane. You would have to take laptops out at security screening and put it into a tray for x-ray screening and once on the plane electronics would have to be powered off at takeoff and landing but can be used once the plane reaches cruising altitude.



You can now check into your flight online 24 hours before your flight with your name and confirmation code you receive when you have bought a ticket; this will allow you to print out a boarding pass which you will need along with state-issued ID to get through TSA screening plus it is what gets you onto the plane. Many airlines also accept an electronic version of the boarding pass that you can bring up on smartphones.



Many useful bits of info on TSA website at http://www.tsa.gov including carry on liquids info, food info, prohibited items, ID info, etc.