New rules from the Transportation Security Administration should have flyers thinking twice about what to pack in their beauty bag.
On Aug. 20, the TSA announced on social media recent changes to what items with heating elements flyers can take in their luggage to the airport. The items have been flagged by the Federal Aviation Administration for having potentially hazardous materials, according to a report from TheStreet.
Cordless curling irons, cordless flat irons and cordless hair straighteners with lithium ion batteries, lithium metal or gas or butane fuel have been banned from checked luggage but can be packed in carry-on bags. If a traveler wants to pack their hot tools in their carry-on bag, they must have a safety cover to prevent them from turning on. Spare gas cartridges are banned from traveling.
“Any cordless curling irons containing gas cartridges (butane) discovered in a checked bag will be removed and turned over to the airline as a HAZMAT item,” the TSA said on social media.
Hot tools that plug into the wall, however, are still able to be packed in checked luggage. Several brands, like Tymo and Conair, sell a cordless model.
“Bottom line … If these items can catch fire in the cargo area where checked bags are transported, there’s no one there to put it out. That’s why they’re only allowed in carry-on bags,” Daniel Velez, the spokesperson for Florida’s TSA, told the Florida Times-Union. SFGATE
