Preparing for a holiday or travelling can be stressful enough, but getting caught accidentally with unsuitable items may put an end to the adventure before it has even begun.
There’s a possibility that passengers may be refused entry to a flight, so you don’t want to be caught – even if it is a packing mistake.
Packing your suitcase can sometimes be an arduous task, but it can be simple to overlook some of the items you pack, and it happens frequently.
A baggage handler for American Airlines shared an extensive list of luggage tips for travellers on Reddit, explaining that there’s one common item which could land you in hot water.
They wrote: “Pressure does weird things. Decreased atmospheric pressure at altitude can cause pressurised bottles and cans to leak. I have had to clean the better part of an entire can of shaving cream out of my toiletry kit before.”
Aerosols can come in the form of suncream and deodorants, so passengers would naturally pack those as necessities without a second thought, especially if you’re travelling somewhere hot.
If you’re not entirely sure what you’re allowed to travel with, either in hand luggage or checked baggage, the Civil Aviation Authority has shared a full list of accepted and prohibited items.
According to the CAA, the current UK aviation security regulations forbid the carrying of liquids (including aerosols and gels) in hand baggage through the passenger security point in containers larger than 100ml.
Aerosols, containing non-flammable, non-toxic gas with ‘no subsidiary risk’ (such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide), for sporting or home use can be packed in checked baggage going in the hold. The maximum weight permitted must not exceed two kilos or two litres.
Aerosols also have to have release valves which are protected by a cap or other suitable means, to stop an accidental release of any contents.
Traveller Cody Stanley also had a warning for other passengers, after she was refused entry to a flight in Peru for accidentally leaving her portable charge in her hold baggage. Cody, one-half of the travel blogger duo @fortheplot, shared a public service announcement warning against making the same mistake she did.
The traveller accidentally packed a portable charger into her luggage, which meant she wasn’t allowed to catch her flight to Ecuador with her friend Ellie. She explained that her best friend had to make the flight without her.
Cody explained: “I had a portable charger in my checked luggage and I didn’t realise it was in there, it’s not normally in there it’s normally in my little bag. But it’s my fault, I take responsibility, but I forgot.
“They wouldn’t let me get it out my bag and they wouldn’t let me get on my flight, so make sure you never, ever, ever put a portable charger in your checked baggage.”
According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which provided information on the current edition of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, any baggage equipped with a lithium battery(ies) where the lithium battery exceeds 0.3g of lithium content or a Watt-hour rating of 2.7Wh for lithium-ion batteries, should not be packed in checked baggage.
The CAA wrote that these must be carried as carry-on baggage unless the battery(ies) is removed from the baggage, protected from short circuits and carried in the cabin.
You can also check with the relevant airline for any prohibited items for checked-in luggage.