TSA says this type of drink is now banned from all US planes | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

With the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) established in 2001 and enacting its 3-1-1 liquid rule in 2006 as a response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, travelers have now had to pack all liquids they bring inside the plane cabin in containers of no more than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters for nearly 20 years.

While there are some exceptions for breast milk and certain medications, the rule applies to almost every other liquid, gel or aerosol. The TSA recently specified that common foods such as hummus, yogurt and peanut butter are frequently confiscated at security screening due to travelers not understanding that they also count as liquid (the final decision of whether a soft food is ultimately liquid or solid rests with the individual TSA officer).

Although a separate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule prevents one from consuming one’s own alcohol aboard the flight, those mini bottles of fewer than 3.4 ounces can generally be brought aboard if left unopened — although, the TSA recently clarified, there are also some exceptions.

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Got some extra-strong Jamaican rum? It may be a TSA problem

The TSA website was recently updated to state that any beverage with more than 70% alcohol content (over 140 proof) is not allowed in either carry-on or checked luggage. While most commercially-available spirits such as vodka, whiskey and rum are 40% alcohol content or 80 proof, certain varieties of grain alcohol and 151 proof rum that travelers purchase on holiday to Caribbean countries can surpass the 70% limit.

As this makes the liquid highly flammable, the TSA recently stressed the ban that transporting “alcoholic beverages with more than 70% alcohol including grain alcohol and 151 proof rum” is not permitted by air.

Anyone who buys a bottle with an especially high alcohol content on vacation needs to either consume it there or have it professionally shipped).

Any alcohol one consumes aboard needs to be provided by the airline.

Veronika Bondarenko

Other alcohol ‘must be in unopened retail packaging,’ TSA specifies

“Alcoholic beverages with more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol are limited in checked bags to five liters (1.3 gallons) per passenger and must be in unopened retail packaging,” the government agency specified. “Alcoholic beverages with 24% alcohol or less are not subject to limitations in checked bags. Mini bottles of alcohol in carry-on must be able to comfortably fit into a single quart-sized bag.”

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While the U.S. is still holding tight to the liquid rule, other countries have slowly started to move away from it as the concern that prompted its implementation in the 2000s — several terrorist plots in which explosives were hidden in water — became less prominent in the era of modern technology.

The United Kingdom first announced that it was preparing to stop requiring travelers to abide by the liquid rule amid greater use of a new type of 3D scanner back in 2022.

As test airports, Aberdeen International in Scotland, Teesside Airport in Darlington and London City Airport now have enough scanners installed to allow all travelers to bring liquids in containers larger than 100 milliliters aboard the plane; replacing the older scanners at larger airports like London Heathrow has been a longer and more costly process.