We’ve all been there — rushing through airport security, patting down our pockets, and tossing last-minute items into the bin before the X-ray belt. But according to the TSA, travelers might want to rethink that habit in favor of a better plan.
In a recent Facebook post, the agency issued a cheeky yet surprisingly practical reminder: “It's best to remove items from your pockets and place them into your carry-on bag instead of into a bin.” That advice applies to obvious essentials like phones, keys, wallets, and vapes — but also to some truly bizarre pocket stowaways.
Among the items TSA listed? Cheese slices, hot sauce packets, pet rocks, pocket chicken, tissues, gum, and mints. (Wait — pocket chicken? Yes, TSA's social media team is known for being a bit silly while delivering serious messages.)
While it’s likely TSA is having a little fun here, this isn’t the first time a traveler has made headlines for carrying cooked poultry through a checkpoint. (Remember the passenger who tried to hide a gun inside a raw chicken, discovered at a Florida checkpoint in 2022?)
AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_5jckr8lb2mav5ubsddbH1_ iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_9jckr8lb2mav5ubsddbH1_ iframeBut the larger point still stands: Placing loose items directly into bins isn’t the smartest move. Not only can things fall out or get lost, but germs and general grime from hundreds of travelers' belongings can accumulate on those plastic trays.
So next time you’re clearing your pockets at security, take the TSA’s advice: Put it all in your bag instead.
Read more: This is the one thing you should never put in a TSA bin — it’s the top item stolen at security, expert warns
Yahoo CreatorAlesandra DubinAlesandra (Alice) Dubin is an award-winning travel and lifestyle journalist. She has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MA in journalism from NYU. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their twins.FollowFollow
