Government suggests new way for travelers to bag it

Regulations allow for security inspections of checked luggage -- even when the passenger isn't present

? The government has some advice for packing that bag you plan to check at the airport: No cheese. No chocolate. Shoes on top. And by all means leave it unlocked.

Federal transportation officials announced new guidelines on Thursday because they’re ramping up luggage screening during the holiday season.

James Loy, head of the Transportation Security Administration, traveled Thursday to Jacksonville, Fla., to tour the airport and talk about the guidelines. Jacksonville’s airport was among the first to install bomb-detection machines for baggage.

Loy said travelers should put toothbrushes and other personal belongings in plastic bags so screeners won’t have to touch them. He said books should be spread out rather than stacked.

Food and beverages are prohibited, he said.

Books — and fruitcake — can be too dense for bomb-detection machines to read through and will set off an alarm, said Richard Lanza, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist.

Food items, like cheese or chocolate, can be mistaken by bomb-detection machines for explosives and generate a “false positive.” Federal screeners will check bags by hand that register a positive reading.

Among the recommendations and requirements:

  • Shoes should be packed last to make it easier for screeners to hand-search luggage.
  • Bags should be left unlocked so screeners won’t have to force them open to search them by hand. Loy recommended that people use cable ties or zip ties, which can be purchased at hardware stores and cut off easily.
  • Don’t put film in checked bags because screening equipment will damage it.
  • Leave gifts unwrapped. Screeners may unwrap those that aren’t.
  • Put scissors, pocket knives and other sharp items in checked bags. They are prohibited from being carried on planes.

With passengers checking about 1 billion pieces of luggage a year, the new policy by the Transportation Security Administration to check for hidden explosives is expected to entail opening millions of items — in many cases while the passenger is not present.

“That leaves a lot to be desired from the standpoint of making people feel comfortable,” said Kevin Mitchell, president of the Business Travel Coalition. “What happens if you have an expensive camera and it’s gone?”

The requirement also will test how much privacy passengers are willing to give up for security’s sake.

Airline liability for damage, loss or theft of luggage is clearly spelled out in government regulations. But the security agency has no set policy on how it will handle complaints of security-related damage.

The security agency, created after the terrorist attacks, was given a Dec. 31 deadline by Congress to screen all checked baggage for explosives. Lawmakers extended the deadline because some large airports weren’t able to add bomb-detection machines to their existing bag management systems in time.

Still, the new agency believes the vast majority of the nation’s airports will be able to screen bags by Jan. 1.