Can I Bring A Turkey On A Plane? TSA Offers Thanksgiving Travel Tips
NEWARK, NJ — Thanksgiving 2024 is expected to be one of the busiest travel holidays ever at airports around the nation, including Newark Airport. And if you’re planning on bringing along some food to contribute to a family feast, it will pay off to know what you can bring through a checkpoint – and what you’ll have to keep in your baggage.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently issued a reminder that the following items need to be packed with checked baggage:
- Cranberry sauce (homemade or canned are spreadable, so check them)
- Gravy (homemade or in a jar/can)
- Wine, champagne, sparking apple cider
- Canned fruit or vegetables (it’s got liquid in the can, so check them)
- Preserves, jams and jellies (they are spreadable, so best to check them)
- Maple syrup
On the other hand, the following items are OK to bring through a security checkpoint, the TSA said:
- Baked goods (homemade or store-bought pies, cakes, cookies, brownies and other sweet treats)
- Meats (turkey, chicken, ham, steak; frozen, cooked or uncooked)
- Stuffing (cooked, uncooked, in a box or in a bag)
- Casseroles (traditional green beans and onion straws or something more exotic)
- Mac ‘n Cheese (cooked in a pan or traveling with the ingredients to cook it at your destination)
- Fresh vegetables (potatoes, yams, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, radishes, carrots, squash, greens)
- Fresh fruit (apples, pears, pineapple, lemons, limes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, kiwi)
- Candy
- Spices
According to the TSA, some additional travel tips include:
SOLID VS. LIQUID – Here’s some food for thought. If it’s a solid item, then it can go through a checkpoint. However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag.
PACKING FOOD – Food items often need some additional security screening, so it is best to place those items in an easily accessible location of the carry-on when packing them and then removing those items from your bag and placing them in a bin for screening at the checkpoint.
Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers can also send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).
“It is also important to remember food safety by storing the food properly while traveling to prevent foodborne illness,” the agency suggested. “If you need to keep items cold during your trip, ice packs are permissible, but they must be frozen solid and not melted when they go through security screening.”
The TSA said it is expecting to screen 18.3 million people from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, representing a volume increase of approximately 6 percent from this time last year. Passenger volumes have reached record highs in 2024, with an increase of 17 percent since 2022.
The TSA projects the three busiest travel days will be the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday.
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