TSA Travel Tips Tuesday:
Leave Your Grenades at Home


After reading the title of this post, your first thought probably was, “That’s obvious.” Not always so. Year to date, our officers have discovered:
  • 43 grenades in carry-on baggage.
  • 40 grenades in checked baggage.


The majority of these grenades were inert, replica, or novelty items, but a few were live smoke, flare, riot, and flash bang grenades, which can pose major safety issues to aircraft and also violate FAA hazmat regulations.

Some have asked us why inert grenades are dangerous since they are dormant. The answer is that they are not dangerous. The issue with inert grenades is that they look like live grenades during screening. When a potential explosive is detected, we must follow protocols that can cause screening areas and even terminals to be closed and evacuated. When checkpoints are closed, flights are delayed and sometimes missed causing the airline and travelers frustration. Another reason all inert grenade related items are prohibited is the panic that could ensue if a passenger were to reveal a grenade while in the cabin of an aircraft.

So remember, real or not, if it looks like a grenade or any other type of explosive device, it cannot be packed in your carry-on or checked baggage. Grenade shaped belt buckles, lighters, soap, candles, MP3 players, paperweights, inert training grenades, and other items can all look like the real item on the x-ray monitor. Please leave these items at home, or find another way of getting them to your destination.

Did you Know: Our officers at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) discovered a live 40mm high explosive grenade in a carry-on bag in 2012?

See you next week with more travel tips!