What Size Liquids Can You Bring On An Airplane

Terminal Updated on December four, 2021

Your airline should inform y'all about the liquid limits for flight or they volition be published somewhere on your airline's website.

But information technology's not your airline that sets the rules or enforces them.

It doesn't affair if your airline is Alaska, Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, or Spirit. All airlines have the aforementioned liquid allowance because the liquid regulations are set by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and enforced at the drome by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

There are really iii limits that you need to know about before flying.

Let'southward take a look at them at present.

TSA / Airline Carry On Rules

Your carry-on pocketbook volition be inspected at the airport security checkpoint by the TSA and they will brand sure you are non exceeding the liquid allowance. Your airline won't look within your baggage at all.

Limit A – Travel Size Containers

The first airline liquid limit is that you must pack liquids in travel sized containers. Travel sized means bottles or containers that are 3.4 ounces or less.

If 3.4 oz strikes you lot every bit a strange amount to choose information technology's considering that it'southward equivalent to 100 ml.

It's the size of the container that is important, not the amount of liquid remaining in the container. So you lot tin't bring a v oz bottle when there is simply 3 oz remaining inside.

Refillable travel size containers are a nifty coin saving purchase considering you tin just fill them up from the big canteen you have at dwelling. Buying travel size versions of products is expensive.

I like to use a drove of bottles and containers of different sizes. There is no sense in packing 3.4 oz of liquid if you only need 1 oz for your trip. A kit like this would exist perfect:

The TSA considers liquids, gels, aerosols, pastes, and anything that you tin can smear or spread to be a liquid.

My favourite example of this is peanut butter. Peanuts are treated as a solid, merely peanut butter is considered a liquid past the TSA.

Limit B – All Containers Must Fit Inside A Quart Size Bag

The second airline liquid limit is that all your travel size liquids must be packed in a i quart size bag.

You can buy a reusable 'TSA Canonical Toiletry Bag' that isn't actually TSA sanctioned merely will work anyway. Or you can use a simple resealable bag similar a Ziploc plastic baggie that has the chapters of i quart.

Y'all might be able to fit 6 or vii travel size bottles in a quart size bag. If yous purchase a reusable 1 then yous'll probably fit more than since they are not actually quart-sized just y'all'll probably get away with it.

Limit C – Only One Bag Per Passenger

The third airline liquid limit is that you are only permitted 1 plastic purse per passenger. You lot tin can't bring two liquids numberless if you are bringing two suitcases. Information technology's one bag each maximum.

There is no way effectually the 1 bag dominion. If you lot are struggling to fit all the liquids y'all need in one bag the best way to bargain with that is to try to substitute solid versions of products.

For case, a solid bar of soap can supersede shower gel.

A solid stick deodorant can supercede an aerosol spray.

Y'all tin even purchase solid toothpaste tablets that might suffice until you are able to visit a local shop.

My pinnacle tip is that the TSA doesn't consider wet wipes to be a liquid.

Then if your liquid production is available in a wet wipe form and then the wipes will brand a great substitute and free upwards infinite in your liquids handbag. Makeup cleansing wipes are a good example.

These three airline liquid rules are called the 3-i-1 past the TSA:

3.4 oz containers
1 quart sized bag
1 bag per person

There besides a 4th restriction nigh the type of liquids you can pack. Let's call it Limit D.

Limit D – No Flammable Liquids Unless They Are Toiletries

You lot can't bring flammable liquids or hazmat liquids even in containers smaller than iii.4 oz unless they are toiletries.

My favourite example of this is that you tin bring bug repellant that you apply to your pare, but you tin't pack an aerosol bug killer spray even if it's under 3.4 oz because information technology's combustible and not a toiletry.

The TSA defines a toiletry as something that you utilise on your pare.

Exceptions To The Airline Liquid Limit

The liquid limit that your airline talks about is only for getting past the TSA security checkpoint.

It'due south not a limit to how much liquid you tin can bring on the plane, it's a limit to how much liquid can be in your carry-on bags when you go through the screening process at airdrome security.

That means that if yous buy any liquids later the security checkpoint and then you tin bring them on the aeroplane no affair what size they are. And so y'all tin make full upward your water bottle after the TSA checkpoints.

There are too a few cases where y'all can bring containers larger than the three.four oz regulations unremarkably allow.

You can bring chest milk, juice, liquid foods, or drinks for infants in reasonable quantities
On international flights you can carry duty free liquids in a secure tamper axiomatic bag
You can bring medically necessary liquids in containers larger than 3.4 oz and you don't need a doctors note.

If you have a container of liquid that is larger than iii.4 ounces and you lot call back it qualifies for an exemption then feel free to place information technology in a separate bin at the x-ray machine for additional screening.

Airline Checked Baggage Liquid Limits

Liquids are non express in checked numberless as strictly every bit they are in bear-on luggage.

But Limit D from above applies. You cannot pack flammable or hazmat liquids in checked numberless because of the fire hazard.

You lot tin pack equally much beer or depression strength vino as you like but yous can only pack 5 litres of booze that is between 24% and 70% ABV. Booze over 70% ABV is prohibited because information technology'due south too flammable.

Lastly whatever toiletry aerosols that you lot pack in checked baggage should be in containers smaller than 18 oz and yous are just immune to pack lxx oz per person of toiletry aerosols in checked baggage.

The Bottom Line

The liquids rule that your airline talks about is actually the FAA carry-on liquids rule that will be enforced past the TSA at the airport.

There are three limits or restrictions. Containers can be 3.four oz maximum. They all need to go in a ane quart size bag. And you can only bring one liquids pocketbook per person.

There are exceptions to the regulations for medically necessary liquids or liquids for babies and infants.