friendly & curious TSA agent

[ufotrash]

Just wanted to share that I went through TSA at the airport and my carry-on bag got flagged to be double checked. I got a little nervous even though I knew there was a greenlight on flying with ecigs, at least that what I'd read on Reddit...and I'd flown with mods and batteries before. But during check-in they still note that they weren't allowed on planes (I was flying Spirit btw) so I was like, ehh??

The TSA agent was an older gent (I dunno, he had completely white hair) and asked if I had anything weird in my bag? I said nooope, and he was like, well, let's just have a look to make sure...

He pulls out a mod (a white snow wolf mini) and asks what it is, I say it's an electronic cigarette, but it doesn't have any batteries in it. He laughed and said he thought it was a taser!!? Then pulled out an rda and asked again what it was. I told him simply, that it was the part the "liquid tobacco" goes in. Then proceeded to ask me how it worked, and I showed him how it screwed onto the top of the mod and you know, mimicked the motion of pressing the button and inhaling through the top. He seemed like he'd just seen the neatest thing since sliced bread...and apologized for all the questions since he really had never seen one before and didn't at all know how they worked then let me go on my merry way.

TL;DR : I went through TSA and cute old man asked me a bunch of questions about the e-cig and I thought, "gee, that was pleasant"

 

[kbeam418]

I'll have to remember that when I go to Vegas. I would hate to have to buy an e-cig when I get there or worse buy a pack of cigarettes.

 

[GunMonkeyINTL]

Actually, the important thing to remember, when you're flying, is that all of your vape gear has to go in your carry on baggage.

It might seem like it would be less hassle to put your gear in your checked luggage, where they'll know you won't have access to it on the plane, but lithium batteries are not allowed in your checked luggage.

I've had spare attys pulled out of my checked luggage and thrown away because the rule is "no batteries (including ecigs) in checked luggage", the paticular TSA "professional" who got my bag didn't have the slightest idea how an ecig worked. He assumed the atty was the part that could blow up, and pitched it.

The only thing that should go in your checked bag is your juice, and any coil building supplies you have. I usually put mine in my toiletry kit, and nothing looks out of place on the X-Ray.

 

[mattiem]

I am glad things worked out well for you and hopefully this gentleman knows a bit more than he did. My question is, do we really want to just hand all this over to the ones that want to deem our choice to move away from tobacco by calling our e-liquid "liquid tobacco"? Our e-liquid does not contain ANY tobacco. It may or not contain nicotine but nicotine is not tobacco.

Please take a moment to read and if you agree, Please sign this petition.

 

[Bunnykiller]

what we have in our possession are hand held low voltage hi wattage resistor checking devices.... they are not Ecigs

 

[ufotrash]

I am glad things worked out well for you and hopefully this gentleman knows a bit more than he did. My question is, do we really want to just hand all this over to the ones that want to deem our choice to move away from tobacco by calling our e-liquid "liquid tobacco"? Our e-liquid does not contain ANY tobacco. It may or not contain nicotine but nicotine is not tobacco.

Please take a moment to read and if you agree, Please sign this petition.

You're absolutely right, the guy did point out he wasn't a smoker and was just curious about the device and I admit, I over-simplified it for him 'cause I was mostly just trying to get through to get to my plane, and not get super into educating him about it... I felt weird saying "liquid tobacco" but I figured it was a term he might more easily understand. If it was someone I was sitting down with and having a chat I wouldn't have said it. Signed the petition!!!

 

[Cumulo Vapus]

If someone asked me I would just say its a 'vapor inhaler'....it's the truth anyway.

 

[mattiem]

You're absolutely right, the guy did point out he wasn't a smoker and was just curious about the device and I admit, I over-simplified it for him 'cause I was mostly just trying to get through to get to my plane, and not get super into educating him about it... I felt weird saying "liquid tobacco" but I figured it was a term he might more easily understand. If it was someone I was sitting down with and having a chat I wouldn't have said it. Signed the petition!!!

I do understand where you are coming from and I am sure under other circumstances you wouldn't have called it that. I too goof when talking to someone face to face and have been known to say something I wouldn't have said if I'd had time to think it through.
Thank you for signing the petition

 

[crxess]

It might seem like it would be less hassle to put your gear in your checked luggage, where they'll know you won't have access to it on the plane, but lithium batteries are not allowed in your checked luggage.

The reasoning is logical. Not all Storage area's of planes are Pressure controlled. This is where Batteries can get in trouble. Though it would take a Pallet load to make a big Boom, even a single Venting Battery can start a fire. Fire can spread to rapidly for Current suppression systems to control. Fire + 20,000+ feet = bad mojo.

All known Battery Fires have been on Cargo Flights and on installed Batteries - thanks Boeing!

 

[Frenchfry1942]

I worry that the FDA (a federal agency) bans e-cig equipment or juice and the FAA/DHS/TSA (federal agencies) follow suit because they are federal regulations. TSA agents start confiscating wrongly-labelled or illegal gear.

Bummer.

 

[ufotrash]

I worry that the FDA (a federal agency) bans e-cig equipment or juice and the FAA/DHS/TSA (federal agencies) follow suit because they are federal regulations. TSA agents start confiscating wrongly-labelled or illegal gear.

Bummer.

Bummer, indeed...Unfortunately FDA ban or not, there are a lot of TSA horror-stories floating around where they are already wrongfully confiscating vape related items, even stories where corrupt TSA agents straight up steal, from checked luggage, mods, among other things and re-sell them on Ebay!!

Which is kinda why I shared my little story, 'cause more often than not I hear about TSA being jerks when comes to vaping stuff...but I've been pretty lucky so far. And definitely didn't expect to be so sincerely asked about it.

 

[dhood]

I recently went on a trip to Aruba. Carried a few things with me in my carry-on - bottle of juice, all my batteries, one mod and one AIO. Stored the rest in my checked luggage - wire, wick, tools to build a coil, another mod, and three more bottles of juice. I noticed both when I got to Aruba and when I got home that my checked luggage had been opened and my vape gear inspected. Nothing was missing but everything was there and out of place. It had all been pulled out and checked.