A little-noticed provision of policies from the U.S Transportation Security Administration that went into effect Saturday require anyone carrying full-size video consoles (such as Playstation, X-box or Nintendo) or full-size DVD players aboard their flights to remove the items from their carrying case and submit them separately for x-ray screening. The items are now screened the same way that laptop computers and video cameras using cassettes are.
Small electronics--such as MP3 players, iPods, and portable video game system--are exempt.
Other rules that went into effect Saturday permit most cigarette lights in carry-on baggage. The move will free security officers from "fishing for 22,000 lighters every day," TSA says. However, "torch" lighters--which burn hotter and are often used to light cigars and pipes--are still banned from carry-ons. The change brings the U.S. into line with the rest of the world; no other country bans lighters in carry-ons.
Finally, mothers need not be accompanied by a child to carry breast milk in quantities greater than 3 ounces onboard so long as the item is declared at the security checkpoint.
Photo by iStockphoto.com/© Elena Elisseeva
