TAMPA, Fla. — It’s the holiday season at Tampa International Airport, which means people traveling with gifts should take a second look in their carry-on luggage so they don’t risk getting flagged at the security checkpoint.
David Stewart, Assistant Federal Security Director for Screening for Greater Tampa Bay Area, says TSA agents will have to unwrap gifts if there’s a potentially prohibited item inside.
“You never know what that’s going to look like on our equipment,” Stewart said. “We never can foresee – oh that’s definitely going to cause interest – or what wont. We don’t know that answer. So we always recommend that people wait until they arrive at their destination to wrap those gifts.”
What You Need To Know
Busiest day for travel at Tampa International Airport is expected to be December 26
Busy holiday travel period lasts through January 5
TSA agents will have to unwrap gifts if something in wrapped package could be suspicious
READ MORE: Full list of prohibited TSA items
Popular gift items that are not allowed through the TSA security checkpoints include cosmetics, bath sets, or lotions in more than 3.4 ounce containers.
Items also include small tools, drill bits, hammers, scissors more than 4 inches, as well as any fake or toy version of a weapon. Water-filled items like snow globes and Magic 8 balls are also prohibited.
“If this is a brand new gift, we have to go through it to either look at the item and visually check it or in same causes apply additional screening measure to it,” Stewart said.
All four airsides at Tampa International Airport now have the latest computed tomography X-ray equipment. Now all carry-on luggage is screened in a 3-dimensional way instead of a top and side x-ray. Airsides A and E also have the latest body imaging technology.
Stewart says those with TSA precheck will still use the older screening systems. He says with precheck, the older systems are more effective.
Passengers who haven’t traveled yet in 2025 should remember they no longer have to remove their shoes. Stewart says people with large snow boots may still have to remove their shoes on a case-by-case basis.