The Transportation Security Administration announced changes to its 3-1-1 rule for passengers arriving to the United States from abroad and travelers flying between the United States and Russia.
International passengers with connecting flights can now carry liquids in excess of 3.4 ounces in their carry-on baggage “provided they were purchased in duty-free shops and placed in secure, tamper-evident bags (STEBs),” according to the TSA’s website. Before the rule change, passengers with any full-size bottles purchased post-security overseas were required to repack the items into checked luggage or abandon them at TSA checkpoints before boarding connecting flights.
The duty-free items still have to be screened and cleared by TSA officers at checkpoints. Some items may not be permitted, including liquids in opaque, ceramic or metallic bottles that can’t be scanned.
Following concerns about potential terrorist attacks at the Winter Olympic Games, the Department of Homeland Security issued warnings to U.S. airlines that terrorists may try to conceal explosives in toothpaste tubes to detonate at the Olympics. In response, the TSA amended its carry-on policy, placing a temporary ban on carry-on liquids, gels, aerosols and powders on non-stop flights from the United States to Russia.
“As always our security posture, which at all times includes a number of measures both seen and unseen, will continue to respond and appropriately adapt to protect the American people from an ever evolving threat picture,” said a DHS official. “These measures include intelligence gathering and analysis, deployment of cutting edge technology, random canine team searches at airports, federal air marshals, federal flight deck officers, temporarily restricting certain items and more security measures both visible and invisible to the public.”
