# What am I allowed to bring on a plane that I can write with? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2001, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557 "2001-09-24T20:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/1 "2001-09-24T20:24:43Z")
Pens are banned. I believe I heard pencils are banned (correct me if I’m wrong… PLEASE) So WTF can a person use to do their crosswords or logic problems? ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/2 "2001-09-24T21:00:01Z")
pens banned? they were’nt the last time i was on a plane. in fact we got pens handed out to us to fill in a form to get into USA, so you’re talking sh\*te. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/3 "2001-09-24T21:03:11Z")
Chalk is okay. Or crayons. But you may NOT bring the big 64 crayon box, as it has a sharpener. ---
**Author:** ![MIKE\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MIKE\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MIKE_P)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/4 "2001-09-24T21:03:26Z")
Crayons of course!😃 ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/5 "2001-09-24T21:06:35Z")
When was the last time you were on a plane, son? If it was after Sept 11, where was it? No, I’m not talking “shit”. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/6 "2001-09-24T21:15:28Z")
I was on a flight from Frankfurt to Newark on Sept 15, (one of the first few flights allowed into the country after the 11th) my carry-on manually searched, and my body frisked by the German Border Patrol, and I got to keep my pens and pencils. They took my nailclipper, though. (no, it wasn’t just me, it was EVERY passenger) ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/7 "2001-09-24T21:31:35Z")
I’ve heard that pens and pencils are not allowed NA flights. Maybe Europe is more relaxed than US/Canadian flights? … or then again maybe I’m totally off on all of this after all. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/8 "2001-09-24T21:44:55Z")
Here’s a link to an official site. They mention the restrictions on knives, but don’t mention anything about pens. This was released after Sept. 11th. [http://www.faa.gov/apa/faq/pr\_faq.htm](http://www.faa.gov/apa/faq/pr_faq.htm) ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/9 "2001-09-24T21:50:36Z")
Thanks QM. I have put down my crackpipe. I would imagine if it was true it would have been mentioned at the site you linked. I could have sworn I heard they were banned. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/10 "2001-09-24T23:04:39Z")
so use a laptop computer 🙂 Belt buckles got a sharp pointy thing on them but you can still wear them right? ---
**Author:** ![Mole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/11 "2001-09-24T23:25:01Z")
I flew to Las Vegas from the Bay Area this past weekend and had no problems carrying a couple of pens onboard. The security persons were only concerned with “knife-type devices”, which includes nail clippers apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/12 "2001-09-25T00:25:33Z")
How can a _nail clipper_ be a weapon? “Hold still now [snip, snip], there’s gotta be a vein here somewhere [snip, snip].” I’d think people who _didn’t_ trim their nails would be considered more “armed.” ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-allowed-to-bring-on-a-plane-that-i-can-write-with/83557/13 "2001-09-25T00:29:14Z")
What I’ve heard is that only nail clippers with the swing-out nail-file attachment are banned. Presumably the nail file could be sharpened into a knife, thus the ban. I don’t have any reliable source for this, though. Arjuna34