I haven’t flown commercial since before 9/11, so I’m only vaguely familiar with the latest restrictions. My 11 year old son and his 14 year old sister are flying back to their mother today. While my son was here I bought him some cologne. It is still in the box, unopened. Is this okay to put in his suitcase that will be checked baggage? I wasn’t sure if the 3oz rule applied to checked baggage.
Oh another airport question. The last time I took them to the airport I got a pass to escort them to the gate. Even though I wasn’t flying I was asked to go through the body scanner. I complied, but I really didn’t want to. I have had more than enough xrays and CT scans and would rather avoid any additional radiation if I can. If for some reason I’m selected again, can I decline the body scanner or will I be thrown to the floor and arrested for not complying? Thanks
If I were packing cologne in my luggage, I’d probably quadruple-bag it in ziplock bags. If it breaks or leaks, there will be no getting the smell out of either the clothes or the suitcase.
“TSA has given passengers the option of opting out of imaging technology. If you choose to opt out, simply let the officer know you would like to opt out of the body scanner, and you will receive a pat-down instead.”
I think you can expect a very thorough pat-down though.
And FYI, most airports use millimeter wave full-body scans. Millimeter waves are just high-frequency radio waves, like WiFi signals but somewhat higher frequency. It’s not an ionizing radiation, which means it can’t directly break up molecules (e.g. your DNA).
Some airports use backscatter X-rays, but their dosage is much less than any medical X-ray because the device detects X-rays scattered from the skin & clothes; the X-ray doesn’t need to be strong enough to penetrate your body. TSA claims you get more dosage from the flight (cosmic rays are stronger at high altitude) than from the scanner.