Don’t want to risk losing powders in your carry-on bag? Stow them in your checked luggage. Airline passengers may bring containers holding 12 ounces of powder in their carry-on bag, but Transportation Security Administration officers will be paying special attention to them. TSA may subject those containers to extra screening or ban them from the airplane cabin. If TSA officers cannot identify the powders, they may discard them.
A 12-ounce container is the size of a standard soda can. Larger containers of powder must be packed in checked bags only.
The new rule about powders was slated to go into effect last summer on international flights headed for the United States, said TSA spokesman Michael England. The rule formalizes a voluntary effort to scrutinize powders in carry-on bags that most international airlines have been making since 2017.
TSA has since then strengthened regulations for carry-on screening, requiring passengers to separate items such as foods and powders that could “clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine.” The agency had warned that “items that cannot be identified and resolved at the checkpoint are prohibited from entering the cabin of the aircraft.”
The rule affects travelers flying to the U.S. with any powdered substances, such as makeup, protein shake mix, spices or baby powder. Powdered baby formula, medicines, and cremated remains are exempt.