The TSA Says Ice Is A Solid Until It’s Not (At Least They Still Understand Science)

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I’ve seen several posts on Twitter and Facebook from people asking if they can bring frozen items or ice through TSA checkpoints at airports. Of all the questions people have, this one seems to cause the most confusion between passengers and TSA agents. Let’s get down to the question, once and for all. Can you bring ice through the checkpoint?

The TSA.Gov website has an obvious opinion on this topic.

That seems to be straightforward – if it’s frozen solid, you’re good. Until you see this disclaimer:

The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.

I guess that means the TSA has rules unless the TSA officer has a different opinion of what should be allowed and what’s not.

What if we want to bring ice packs with us to keep our BBQ cold when coming home from Lockhart, TX?

I used to dump all of the ice out of our cooler before going through the TSA checkpoint. As an experiment, I’ve gone through several times with our bag of ice from the hotel with no problems, as long as I poured the melted water out of the ziplock bag before reaching the checkpoint.

I’m glad to see that the TSA understands that when water is frozen, it’s still a solid and not liquid, and therefore allowed through the security checkpoint. I’m not going to try to explain what happens if I’d try to bring dry ice through the airport.

Oh wait, the TSA has thought of that already.

But of course:

The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the

checkpoint.

This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary