Are Scissors TSA Approved? (Traveler’s Advice)

When you are getting prepared to fly, it’s important to understand what’s in your luggage and what’s not.

One of the more common mistakes people make is to assume regular household items are permitted on board. This is untrue as something like a pair of scissors can be used dangerously and is not going to be allowed.

Of course, you are still going to wonder about taking scissors on a flight and whether or not the TSA approves them.

Let’s take a look at what the rules are.

TSA Rules For Scissors

No Blades Over 4 Inches Long (Carry-On)

Let’s assume you are going to take scissors on board with you.

If so, you are not allowed to have anything with a blade longer than four inches. They are strict when it comes to this and are going to remove the scissors when they find out it is in the carry-on luggage.

How do they measure the blade?

They are going to measure it from the tip to the middle point of the scissors.

In general, the reason they permit these smaller scissors on a flight has to do with grooming. You might want to use the scissors for general grooming on a flight whether it’s trimming your facial hair or something else associated with the body.

As a result, a smaller pair of scissors is fine as long as the blade is smaller than four inches long.

All Scissors Are Permitted For Checked Luggage

So, what if you want to take a pair of scissors with you on a flight?

Well, you are not straight out of luck.

You can take all types of scissors on a flight if they are in the checked luggage. This is because it will not be readily available to you on the flight itself. In a situation such as this, you are more than welcome to bring the scissors with you in the checked luggage.

Of course, we do recommend making sure you are protecting the scissors as they can damage the bag from the inside. The bag is going to be tossed around and the sharpness of the blade can tear items inside the bag and also the bag itself.

We prefer to keep things simple and wrap the scissors with something soft to make sure they are nestled within the luggage. This ensures the scissors don’t move around inside the checked bags.

No Approved Scissors By The TSA

We often hear people mentioning this.

When it comes to the TSA scissors rule, it is as simple as you are not allowed to bring the average scissors on flight.

This is for safety reasons.

The only thing they are going to be looking at is the blade length. If it is less than four inches, you are good to go.

If they are not, your only option is going to be to include them in the checked luggage. Of course, you are also welcome to leave them behind if you don’t want to take them through the checked bags.

Please take the time to read through the rules before bringing something like this with you to the airport. The long blades are not permitted and the scissors will be confiscated from your possession as soon as you are there.

The TSA is strict when it comes to this since the scissors can be used dangerously.

Ask Questions

We know you are going to be apprehensive when you’re at the airport as most people are.

This is the same with us too!

However, the one thing we do recommend is taking the time to ask the TSA officer questions. They are likely to help you as long as you are sharing your case and what you are aiming to do with the scissors. The only time they are going to be strict is if the scissors are hidden and remain undisclosed during the initial check.

This is why it’s best to be prepared for this and let them know.

They will also shed light on what your options are and that is going to make it easier to get the scissors onboard or into the checked luggage without issue.

Final Thoughts

These are the rules for taking scissors on a plane.

We know you are going to have loads of questions associated with TSA rules but it always comes down to making sure you are patient.

You will want to get a good read of the situation and make sure you are not damaging anything within your checked luggage. If you are particular about taking brow scissors on a plane or something similar for grooming then it’s okay to measure the blade length.

This will tell you whether or not the scissors will get approved by the TSA.

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