It was another big year for travel and as a result another chaotic one in the security checkpoint lines at airports across the country.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uncovered a wealth of prohibited items over the last 12 months, using the discoveries as lessons for future travel through puns and dad jokes on its official Instagram page.
In February, a passenger at Chicago Midway International Airport attempted to hide a vape pen inside of a toothpaste tube.
"Attempting to conceal items is a sure way to get yourself in a paste-y situation," TSA joked. "Need to brush up on the rules? E-cigarettes, vapes, and vape pen liquids are allowed. All liquid containers such as e-juice and toothpaste in your carry-on bag must be 3.4 ounces or less and fit into a single quart-size bag along with your other travel-size liquids."
Not long after that, a passenger at North Carolina's Asheville Regional Airport attempted to hide weed in a jar of peanut butter.
Travelers should remember that weed and certain cannabis-infused products remain illegal under federal law unless they contain 0.3 percent THC or less.
In March, a passenger at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was busted attempting to transport a knife concealed inside the shell of their laptop. "Knives and other tools with blades or sharp edges must be placed in checked bags," TSA reminded.
Officers discovered two knives and a torch lighter concealed in an energy drink container hidden in a carry-on bag at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport over the summer.
Elsewhere in Texas, a replica improvised explosive device (IED) was confiscated at EL Paso International Airport. "This particular dummy piece was found by our officers in April 2024 in a passenger’s carry-on bag," TSA confirmed.
At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, TSA officers discovered meth hidden inside a bag of Epsom salt. "And though we’re uncertain what influenced this creative packing, we’re positive they should have tweaked this idea entirely," the agency joked.
Across the country, meth was also confiscated at New Hampshire's Portsmouth International Airport after officers observed a mass in a crutch during an X-ray screening. "After secondary screening, a baggie of an unknown substance was removed. It had been artfully concealed in a bundle of wrenches, and wrapped with electrical tape," the agency said.
"Upon discovery, the passenger admitted they were a methy packer. And that, was that."
A shotgun shell of meth was also uncovered on a passenger's groin area at Philadelphia International Airport earlier this year.
One of the year's wildest and most frightening discoveries occurred at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston on November 14 when officers found a loaded gun in the seat pocket of a stroller.
"Our officers immediately turned the matter over to local law enforcement who took possession of the launcher (and the passenger)," TSA wrote in an Instagram post.
TSA intercepted a staggering number of guns at checkpoints nationwide in 2024.
Most recently, officers uncovered an inert grenade from a passenger's luggage at New York City's LaGuardia Airport.
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