TSA offers summer travel tips for travelers at ABIA

The main terminal at ABIA was busy Wednesday. Among those flying were three members of a Canyon Lake Church but before they could start their trip to New Mexico for a retreat, they had to make it through the TSA checkpoint.

Doing that took a little more than a wing and a prayer. Mother Magdalene said she put her faith in her traveling partner that nothing they packed would cause a problem. 

"He told me what I needed to bring and what not to bring,” said Mother Magdalene.

Several confiscated items from carry-on bags were displayed by TSA officials. These novelty hand grenades were recovered from checkpoints at ABIA along with knives and several concealed weapons.

These are extreme cases but authorities say travelers are still forgetting basic rules like putting properly sized toiletry items into plastic bags. "Again these little things help keep the lines moving if you are prepared,” said TSA Spokesperson Carrie Harmon. 

To help, TSA is pushing its social media sites for ways to double check what's allowable. You take a picture of an item, send it to @AskTSA on twitter and wait for a response.

My tweet took about 30 minutes for an answer.

"There is a TSA App you can download. TSA.gov is our website, in fact it has a unique feature, it says on the home page, Can I Bring My, you type in the name of the item it will tell you if you can put that item in your carryon bag, check bag or just leave it at home,” said Harmon.

There are no major rule changes for the holiday flying season but there is a modification for electronics. Laptops are not the only devices you'll have to pull out at the checkpoint.

The rule now applies to anything larger than a cellphone. "C PAPS, B PAPS, any medical devices that’s large and hold memory too it, just go ahead and take it out. When in doubt, just ask us at the check point we'll let you know if it needs to stay in your bag or taken out,” said TSA Agent Marissa Barba.

The ban on large containers of powder products in carry-on luggage is also being expanded.

The rule currently isn't enforced on flights into the U.S. but starting June 30th that will change.