TSA offers travel tips for Derby weekend

From bourbon bottles to giant fascinators, TSA has seen them all at the airport during Kentucky’s Derby week.

“The most common offender during Derby week is the bourbon bottles people want to take as souvenirs,” said TSA spokesperson Mark Howell.

People are allowed to travel home with those, but they must be packed in checked baggage under the plane.

“We have the 3-1-1 rule, which is 3.4 ounces of a liquid in a quart-sized bag,” Howell explained. It’s why those bottles can’t come on-board even if they are sealed.

Large fascinators should always be packed with checked luggage as well. If they’re too big to get through security comfortably you might be asked to check it, and it could be subjected to an additional manual screening, and that process adds time to a process that’s already expected take longer this week.

“Get to the airport two hours before your flight,” Howell said of this week. “All of the state’s airports; Cincinnati, Louisville and Lexington all see heavy volume,” Howell stated.

People are still making the same mistakes, too, as it relates to bringing guns, knives, and other sharp objects aboard. Just this morning, a TSA official said two guns were detected at Bluegrass Airport.

“The excuse we get almost every time is, ‘Oops, I forgot it was in my bag,” Howell said.

To that end, he suggests emptying it entirely before packing up. Mr. Howell also said TSA will never confiscate an item. Travelers will always be given the choice of surrendering it or making some other arrangement for it before going through security.