5 Airport Security Mistakes That Are Slowing You Down

Let's be honest: No passenger trying to make their flight enjoys going through airport security. The lines are long, those metal detectors and full-body scanners are pretty intimidating, and everyone from fellow passengers to airport security staff just seems to be in a foul mood. If you can already feel your blood pressure rising just thinking about it, you're not alone. Entire Reddit threads are dedicated to the stress that many people feel passing through security, with one Redditor summarizing the feeling perfectly: "Do I know all the rules? Will they apply them reasonably? Will I answer correctly if they ask me a question? Did I empty out my suitcase before I packed it? Is deodorant a solid, gel, or liquid? Does my curling iron look like a weapon?" The anxiety is real. 

While you may still have to take your shoes off and shuffle through the scanner in your socks, there are some things that you can do to make the process of getting screened at an airport a lot faster — and potentially help you avoid legal trouble, too. Making sure that there aren't any prohibited items in your bag, your ID is ready to go, and you don't accidentally say the wrong thing to a TSA agent can go a long way into making sure that your trip through security is as simple, stress-free, and, most importantly, as short as possible

There's nothing more frustrating than watching your bag come out of the X-ray and get diverted for a more thorough check instead of continuing down the conveyor belt to you. If you don't want to stand to the side tapping your toes as your boarding time ticks closer and closer while a TSA agent looks through your carry-on for contraband, make sure that you understand the regulations and don't pack anything that goes against the rules. Not only does packing prohibited items slow you down, the more people do it, the longer TSA takes for everyone.

The TSA has had people try to pack chainsaws, fireworks, axes, knives, and brass knuckles — but not everything that's banned is so intuitively not allowed on planes. Many people are stopped by security for having liquids. While some things, like baby formula, are exempt from the TSA's 3-1-1 liquid rule, you can't bring full-size shampoo bottles or drinking water through TSA. Regulations do change from time to time, so if you haven't flown recently, it's a good idea to review the TSA website to be certain that you're following all the rules. If there's an item you're not sure about, you can even text "Travel" to 275-872 or message AskTSA on Facebook and find out whether or not it's allowed.

Some people do yoga in the airport to lessen their travel stress, others make jokes. Humor can be a great coping mechanism if you're overwhelmed by long wait times and delayed flights — but there are some jokes you just can't make when you're going through airport security. Even if it's obvious that you're kidding, like one person who joked to a TSA agent that he was carrying eight bombs on his person, the TSA has to take it seriously. Jokes about terrorist threats, weapons, and explosives are likely to get you pulled out of the security line at TSA for additional screening and questioning, which can take a very long time.

Most of the time, this will just seriously slow you down at security and make you late, but in some cases, jokes like these from passengers in airport security, airports, and onboard planes have had more serious consequences. Jokers have been kicked off their flights and even been arrested because of badly timed comments. In some places, like the Philippines, bomb jokes around planes are actually illegal and get you kicked out of the country before your trip even begins. Way back in 2002, an airline pilot was actually arrested during an airport security check for quipping that it doesn't make sense for them to worry about him bringing a pair of tweezers onboard when he's the one flying the plane and could crash it if he wanted to.

Are you 100% sure that your luggage is fully empty? Even if you already know what TSA's regulations are and took care not to pack anything that's prohibited, you could find yourself delayed at TSA if there was something in your luggage that's against the rules. Whether it's a water bottle from your last hiking trip still at the bottom of your backpack or a multi tool from your summer road trip tucked into a forgotten pocket in your carry-on, there's a strong possibility that even though you missed it, TSA will not. Depending on what it is, you may be asked to put it into your checked luggage, leave it in your car, give it to a friend, or even mail it home to yourself, which takes time. Otherwise, it will probably be thrown away or sold.

When you search through your bag for any accidental contraband, keep an eye out for any holes, too. One poster on Reddit reported that a small rip in the lining of their backpack had created a hidden space, and a single bullet from their legal firearm became stuck inside without anyone noticing. Although they didn't get in any legal trouble, it did cause a serious delay, as the owner of the bag had to actually locate the bullet and remove it before they could move on, which took a full hour.

There are some helpful hacks that can help you zip through TSA, but none of that is going to matter if you spend 20 minutes arguing with security. Going through airport security can definitely be frustrating, especially when the particular agent searching your bags is giving you a hard time. If you feel that you've been treated unfairly or have been profiled by the TSA, you can and should make a complaint to the TSA via their website, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Civil Rights, if necessary. In most cases, you probably don't want to get into a big fight with airport security while you're standing in the line, though. Arguing with security can mean you're taken to secondary inspection or barred from flying.

Travel writer and photographer Ned S. Levi writes in Travelers United that arguing with airport security is the best way to get pulled out of line and detained, stating, "The odds of you winning an argument with government agents anywhere, including airport security, are slim. Even when you're right." He then recounts how being kind and patient with security over a discrepancy about his liquids got him through with ease, whereas another passenger got aggressive, causing security to call the police. That passenger, he says, missed their flight as a result.

If you're planning for a big trip, make sure to double check that all of your travel documents are ready to go before you leave. 24% of survey respondents in a 2023 study of 2,000 travelers in the United Kingdom reported on by The Mirror stated that "not having passports or boarding passes to hand and holding up the queue" was among the most annoying things that a fellow passenger could do, because it holds up the security line for so long.

While rifling through your pockets for your papers might delay you and be frustrating for those around you, as soon as you find them, you should be able to continue on through security. If you don't have your documents at all, or they're unusable, however, you could be waiting a lot longer to board your flight. If something like your name is listed incorrectly in your boarding pass, security might let you through, but you might also have to talk to your airline's customer service, instead. If you don't have your passport with you, or you just realized that it's expired, you're not going to make it through security if you're headed for an international flight. Getting a new passport the same day as your flight is difficult and expensive, but getting one from the airport security line is literally impossible — so make sure not to put yourself in that position.