Rescheduled webinar on sex toys and the TSA in two days

On Thursday March 28, AirSafe.com will host a live webinar on how TSA rules affect passengers who fly with one or more sex toys.

While the TSA for the most part does an outstanding job of protecting the flying public, sometimes they compromise a passenger's privacy and dignity while doing so.

There have been a number of cases where TSA representatives exposed passengers to unnecessary embarrassment and humiliation because the passenger was traveling with a sex toy. In at least one case from 2011, a TSA screener was fired for leaving an inappropriate message in a checked bag containing a sex toy.

This webinar will discuss TSA rules with respect to what is allowed in checked and carry-on bags, with an emphasis on what sex toys and sex toy accessories are allowed in flight.

The webinar will also provide advice on what passengers can do to minimize or eliminate problems with TSA security screening, and suggest specific steps to take if the TSA fails to act in a professional manner. In addition, the webinar will discuss how rules and customs concerning sex toys may differ when traveling outside of the US.

Register for the webinar today!

Note: This webinar was orginally scheduled for February 28, 2013. If you registered for the original webinar, please re-register using the above link

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Previous webinar
Last week's webinar discussed the upcoming changes to the TSA's rules on traveling with knives and other potential weapons items in carry-on baggage. If you missed last week's webinar, check out the following resources:
Video of previous TSA webinar
List of upcoming changes to TSA prohibited items list

JetBlue passenger dies during flight

26 February 2013; JetBlue A320; Flight 462, en route Ft. Myers, FL to Boston, MA: Shortly after takeoff from Ft. Myers, Fl, an older male passenger experienced a medical emergency. In spite of efforts by the flight attendants and at least one medical professional, the passenger died of unspecified causes. There were six crew members and 149 passengers on board.
According to FlightAware.com, the flight lasted two hours and 24 minutes, departing Ft. Myers 29 minutes late at 5:14 pm, and arriving in Boston five minutes behind schedule at 7:38 pm. The flight was nearly full, with 149 passengers and 150 passenger seats according to SeatGuru.com.
Why this event will not count in safety statistics
This event, while tragic, will likely not count in any official accident and incident statistics of the FAA and NTSB. Typically, only serious injuries or deaths that were somehow connected with an airliner flight are required to be reported. Death by natural causes, which this case appears to be, would not count.
AirSafe.com takes a similar approach, and events involving only deaths by natural causes are not included in any of the sites listings of events by year, airline, or aircraft model. AirSafe.com incudes a category defined as a Significant Event, but this event did not have any of the characteristics associated with a Significant Event. That may change based on the finding of the death investigation.

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Tomorrow's Webinar Rescheduled
The live webinar originally scheduled for Thursday February 28, 2013 on how TSA rules affect passengers who fly with one or more sex toys has been rescheduled for Thursday March 28, 2013.
This webinar will discuss TSA rules with respect to what is allowed in checked and carry-on bags, with an emphasis on what sex toys and sex toy accessories are allowed in flight. The webinar will also provide advice on what passengers can do to minimize or eliminate problems with TSA security screening.

Register for the webinar today!

Webinar: How to Fly with a Sex Toy under TSA Rules

On Thursday March 28, AirSafe.com will host a live webinar on how TSA rules affect passengers who fly with one or more sex toys. While the TSA for the most part does an outstanding job of protecting the flying public, sometimes they compromise a passenger's privacy and dignity while doing so.

There have been a number of cases where TSA representatives exposed passengers to unnecessary embarrassment and humiliation because the passenger was traveling with a sex toy. In at least one case from 2011, a TSA screener was fired for leaving an inappropriate message in a checked bag containing a sex toy.

This webinar will discuss TSA rules with respect to what is allowed in checked and carry-on bags, with an emphasis on what sex toys and sex toy accessories are allowed in flight.

The webinar will also provide advice on what passengers can do to minimize or eliminate problems with TSA security screening, and suggest specific steps to take if the TSA fails to act in a professional manner. In addition, the webinar will discuss how rules and customs concerning sex toys may differ when traveling outside of the US.

Register for the webinar today!

Note: This webinar was orginally scheduled for February 28, 2013. If you registered for the original webinar, please re-register using the previous link

How to Fly with a Sex Toy

Last month, writer and attorney Jill Filipovic was on an international flight from Newark, NJ to Dublin, Ireland, and upon arrival found in her checked bag a printed advisory from the TSA stating that her bag had been opened and inspected by the TSA. In the margin of the note, a TSA screener added an extra message saying "Get your freak on girl." The checked bag had contained a sex toy, and presumably the message was related to the presence of that device.


The extra inspection of a checked bag was a normal TSA procedure. The additional comments were not part of a normal procedure, and TSA representative Kawika Riley later apologized for that screener's behavior and described it as "highly inappropriate and unprofessional." That TSA screener was later fired.

Issues brought up by this incident
This incident brings up two important issues for passengers. First, the legal rights passengers have when it comes to traveling with sex toys, and second, how passengers can travel safely travel with these items.

What is a sex toy?
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to enhance or facilitate sexual pleasure. Sex toys include things like dildos and vibrators, and can be made from a variety of materials, including glass, wood, plastic, silicone, or latex. While some sex toys are designed to resemble male or female human genitals, many are not. Also, while many other common items may have a secondary use as a sex toy, this article is focused on those items that have been designed to be used primarily as a sex toy.

What are the laws or rules concerning air travel with sex toys?
The laws, rules, and regulations concerning travel with sex toys depend on where you travel. In general, when you travel domestically within a country, you should observe the appropriate laws and regulations of that country. When you travel between countries, you have to consider the laws of the country you are traveling from, the country you are traveling to, and any country you may be passing through on the way to your destination.

In the US, when it comes to flying on airliners or going through TSA security, the only limits that matter are the normal limits on hazardous or banned items. While there may be local or state laws restricting the possession of sex toys, there are no federal restrictions on ownership. If you review AirSafe.com's page on prohibited and restricted items, you will see that the TSA would likely not have a reason to ban most sex toys.

Tips for traveling with sex toys
There are a number of common sense things that you can do to protect your sex toys and to limit the likelihood that the TSA will cause you any embarrassment or excessive delays:

• Tell the truth: If a TSA screener asks you what is in your baggage just say what it is.
  
• Remove batteries: This suggestion applies to any battery-powered item in your baggage that won't be used in flight.
  
  
• Put your items in separate clear plastic bags: Keeping items in Ziploc type bags keeps them from being contaminated by handling by TSA screeners.
  
  
• Don't pack banned items: Most sharp items, and liquid filled or gel filled items are typically banned from carry on baggage, but can be packed in checked luggage.

Complaining about your treatment
Although traveling with sex toys is completely legal in the US, you may still encounter TSA officials whose conduct toward you may be rude or unprofessional. If this happens at a security screening area, you should immediately request to see a supervisor to discuss the matter. You also have several options for submitting a formal complaint. You could email the TSA’s Contact Center at: TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov, or if you believe you have been the target of discriminatory conduct you contact the TSA Office of Civil Rights and Liberties.

For detailed advice on how to complain about your treatment, you may want to review AirSafe.com's complaint resources at http://www.airsafe.com/complain/complain.htm

Resources
Listen to the podcast episode
Get the AirSafe.com Baggage and Security Guide