What Happens to Banned Belongings at the Airport?

Putting everything in perspective, one may look at “air travel rules” collectively as “one big list of prohibited items.” Air travel rules are principally composed of the list of items that are prohibited from being taken on an airline, whether that ban only be for the carry on luggage, or both the carry-on baggage and checked-in luggage.

However, there are still some mistakes that are made. If you, intentionally or not, have forgotten to remove a prohibited item from your luggage bags, do you know what is expected to happen to you or to that item?

The offshoot of having items prohibited tend to depend on the airport you are in, the airline company you are flying with, as well as the item that you are trying to get through security checkpoints. Essentially, if you are trying to sneak in bottled water, expect that the consequences are far less than if you are trying to get a gun through; but there still are consequences, nonetheless.

The most common action taken, when it comes to trying to board an airplane with prohibited items, is the passenger being pulled aside by airport security or other airport staff. All bags, including checked-in luggage, are usually checked, with the owner nearby. This is done to help ensure that no prohibited item is found.

In the event that you are trying to store prohibited items in your checked luggage, such as flammable objects, you will almost at all times be requested to take these items to your car or just outside. If you can’t (or don’t want), you usually have to turn that item over to the personnel in charge of security. The same is true for prohibited items in your hand luggage bags.

In most cases, you will be given an option as to what you want to do with your items.

To make room for the possibility of some last-minute adjustments, it is advised that passengers arrive at the airport in advance. This way, there is more than enough time for travellers to make additional accommodations of their belongings found out as prohibited.