DALLAS — Holiday travel is in full swing, and TSA employees want to remind airline passengers what they can and can’t physically bring on the plane with them.
“Any item that can be used to cause bodily injury will not be allowed to pass security,” said TSA Deputy Director Patricia Matcha.
She says the amount of abandoned goods continues to grow and is becoming more malevolent.
“We’re seeing travelers with hairbrushes that you pull out the handle, and it’s a shank; we’ve seen travelers with a belt that had over a hundred bullets in it, and a traveler was actually wearing it," Matcha says.
TSA Supervisor Xabriel Santiago-Medina showed WFAA a table full of items passengers had to leave behind, which also included torch lighters, a “Bug-A-Salt" gun, and a portable blender.
“They mostly are forgetful that they have that in their bags,” said Xabriel Santiago-Medina.
He says it really all boils down to time.
“If they have time, they will check it; if not, they will leave it behind," Santiago-Medina says.
He says more frequently, “they leave it behind because they are running out of time.”
As the rush of travelers passes through DFW, the end goal for most is just making it to their final destination with all of their belongings.
“It’s tough, it’s busy, but it’s worth it to go see family at the end of the day” Noah Snyder told us Wednesday morning as he was getting ready to fly to Nebraska with his wife and two small children.
“Usually it’s pretty stressful; we’ve asked them to pack their bags before, and they packed it full of stuffed animals,” said Snyder’s wife, Alicia.
They’ve learned preparation is key.
“Get everything ready as early as possible. Get stuff packed the day before so you’re not rushing," Noah says.
Click here for a full list of items that TSA does not allow passengers to bring on a plane.