MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Traffic has begun increasing at airports across the nation, and security officials have tips to help travelers during this busy holiday season.
At Miami International Airport, Transportation Security Administration agents hosted a news conference and offered advice on traveling with certain items that may result in a fine or an arrest.
Pocket knives and brass knuckles are just some of the weapons people have tried bringing through security checkpoints at MIA. “Think about what’s in your bag before you head to the airport,” said TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz.
According to TSA, there’s an escalating issue of travelers trying to carry guns through security in carry-on baggage. “We see the way people fling their bags onto the belt and the checkpoint,” said Koshetz. “Most of these guns that we are stopping are loaded. Our recommendation is to leave your gun at home.”
If travelers wish to travel with their firearms, they must be in their checked bag. “That means declaring it to the airline when you arrive at the airport,” said Koshetz. “It has to be in a hard-sided, locked case, and it must be unloaded.”
TSA agents have stopped 135 passengers with guns in 2017 between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach airports. “We know that some people are testing the system,” said Koshetz. “We also know that most people simply say they forgot, and that’s not acceptable.”
Anything larger than a cell phone will have to be pulled out of a traveler’s baggage, TSA agents said, unless they’re a part of the TSA Pre-check program.
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