These 3 Popular Items Were Once Banned By TSA, But Not Anymore

The Transport Security Administration (TSA) was established on November 19, 2001, in the wake of 9/11 with a mission to make air travel safer in the United States. The agency was tasked with implementing 100% checked baggage screening, expanding the Federal Air Marshal Service, and overseeing the installation of reinforced cockpit doors.

While these security measures are crucial, it’s easy to forget their importance when a TSA agent confiscates your favorite gadget or tool before boarding. The good news is that many restrictions on what can be taken onto planes have been relaxed—not because these items suddenly became safe, but because of advancements in imaging scanners, improved explosive detection systems, and more comprehensive training for screeners.

This doesn’t mean security has been compromised. In many cases, bans were either lifted entirely or refined with size limits, battery capacity thresholds, and clearer distinctions between items that merely looked suspicious on scanners versus those that posed genuine risks to aircraft cabins.

Certain Small Tools

The TSA faces an incredibly difficult balancing act—protecting millions of passengers while working with finite resources. This sometimes requires making practical decisions about what items are allowed in aircraft cabins. The decision to permit small tools on board is a prime example.

Initially, the TSA banned all tools from airport sterile areas and aircraft cabins. This blanket approach proved impractical, with TSA officers confiscating nearly 470,000 tools in just the second half of 2005 alone. The agency determined that the risk associated with many of these tools didn’t justify the resources spent detecting them.

By December 2005, the rules had changed. However, don’t try boarding with your favorite DeWalt drill or a crowbar, or you’ll be disappointed. Permitted tools must be smaller than seven inches, and scissors must have blades no longer than four inches.

While the seven-inch limit might seem arbitrary, it accounts for a large percentage of the tools that were previously intercepted. This size restriction makes enforcement simple—screeners can use a measuring tape to make quick determinations. Knives remain forbidden in cabins, and even Swiss Army Knives must travel in checked luggage. However, certain multitools that comply with TSA regulations are now permitted in carry-ons.

Large Printer Cartridges

Among the more surprising items once banned from planes were printer ink and toner cartridges—devices filled with liquid that most travelers wouldn’t consider dangerous. This ban, implemented in 2010, followed the discovery of two printer cartridges converted into improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by British and UAE authorities. The devices were found on flights originating from Yemen and were intended to explode on flights bound for the United States.

In response, all printer cartridges over 16 ounces were banned from both carry-on and checked baggage. However, as screening technology improved and detection systems became better at identifying cartridge contents and structures, this restriction was reconsidered.

Today, printer cartridges are once again allowed on planes, provided they comply with standard screening requirements. So the next time you’re traveling across the country and feel compelled to bring printer cartridges, you can do so without worry.

Electronics Larger Than a Smartphone

For a brief period, large personal electronics such as laptops and tablets were banned from carry-on luggage on certain international flights to the U.S. This restriction followed intelligence suggesting that explosive devices could be concealed inside consumer tech products. There was also a real-world example in Somalia where such a bomb was successfully detonated, though the aircraft landed safely.

Rather than implementing a blanket ban, the rule targeted specific airlines and departure airports. Among the affected carriers were Kuwait Airways, Emirates, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. A similar UK ban also impacted British Airways and budget carrier EasyJet. Countries affected included Qatar, Morocco, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

The move sparked significant concern about device damage, data security, and theft when electronics were forced into checked baggage. There were also worries about the fire risk posed by lithium-ion batteries and whether concentrating large numbers of them in cargo holds was sensible compared to keeping them in cabins where potential fires could be detected and addressed quickly.

As enhanced screening technology was deployed at affected airports, the restrictions were gradually eased, and our precious electronics were once again permitted in airplane cabins.

This policy evolution exemplifies how security measures often change in response to intelligence assessments and technological capabilities. Once improved security measures were in place, the TSA reexamined the situation and determined that large electronics could safely return to cabin luggage.

Tags: TSA security rules, airport security changes, banned items now allowed, travel technology, airport screening technology, TSA tool regulations, printer cartridge ban, electronics on planes, aviation security, 9/11 security measures, lithium battery safety, airport liquid restrictions, carry-on luggage rules, TSA policy evolution, air travel safety

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