Flying with CO2 Cartridges for Inflatable Life Jackets

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jackdale

Find the appropriate page on the airline web site, print and carry. ...

A check of published company policies produced these results in 2008:

* Alaska Airlines - No mention of self-inflating life jackets in their baggage policy

* Continental Airlines - Accepts one carbon dioxide (CO2) powered inflatable life jacket as checked or carry-on baggage. The life jacket may be packed in a checked or carry-on bag or carried as a single item in lieu of a checked or carry-on bag

* American Airlines - No life jackets inflated by CO2 cartridges allowed

* Delta Airlines - Accepts one self-inflating life jacket that contains one small carbon dioxide cylinder as checked baggage only

* Northwest Airlines - CO2 cartridges are allowed in carry on and checked baggage for self-inflating life vests. Two cartridges may be installed in the life vest and two spares may be carried. CO2 cartridges may not be carried for any other purpose.

* Southwest Airlines - Allows self-inflating life vests with two small gas cylinders and two small spare cylinders in checked baggage

[hellosailor]

That's right, Brent. They are legal to carry on board SUBJECT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE INSPECTOR and if the inspector says "NO" you have to throw them out or find a way to send them home. Some airlines/airports will hold them for you to pickup on return, if you put them in a marked envelope. Others won't.

It could be an innocent CO2 cannister designed to save your life, or a sealed cannister with Sarin gas so you can kill everyone on the plane and crash it over a populated city. There's no way to tell without opening it, so many inspectors will say "NO!" and their site supervisors will ALWAYS back them up 100%, no discussion.

The airline can accept it. The TSA does accept it. The FAA allows it. The guy in the inspection line overrides them all, at his/her own discretion or ignorance.

You could always try going to your departure airport (in person) and asking the TSA site supervisor for advance permission but of course, that doesn't get it home either.

In checked baggage, it is more likely to be passed BUT you know the TSA routinely tampers with bags and there is a chance they will either remove it, trip it, or pull everything off the plane while investigating.

The laws are clear: Its a crapshoot, depending on which petty hireling thinks they are saving the world today.

[BojanglesIV]

ok, so a dimwitted inspector COULD reject your pfd, but has this actually happened to anybody? It's never happened to me and I've never heard of it happening to anybody. And no one on this thread has yet claimed firsthand knowledge of having a pfd rejected.

I'll be the among the first guys to bitch about TSA (and also the USDA guys that greet you in the USVI's) but I have no reason to slag them about pfd's or to suspect that they'll have a problem with mine.

So, to reiterate, has anyone on this board actually lost a pfd to these guys?

Cheers
Colin

[Ironhorse74]

Originally Posted by BojanglesIV

ok, so a dimwitted inspector COULD reject your pfd, but has this actually happened to anybody? It's never happened to me and I've never heard of it happening to anybody. And no one on this thread has yet claimed firsthand knowledge of having a pfd rejected.

I'll be the among the first guys to bitch about TSA (and also the USDA guys that greet you in the USVI's) but I have no reason to slag them about pfd's or to suspect that they'll have a problem with mine.

So, to reiterate, has anyone on this board actually lost a pfd to these guys?

Cheers
Colin

So there I was standing in line minding my own damn business. Take your laptop out of the case etc etc etc. Go through the metal detector and watch as the conveyor belt backs up and goes forward about a half dozen times. Directed into the little room. Guy with latex gloves, his supervisor, that guys supervisor, the guy who put suitcases on the plane and the Barista from Starbucks are all watching him go through my bag.

Find two CO2 inflators. When they pulled them out a light bulb turned on. I remembered throwing them in my bag last time I went to the boat. I was reasonable, TSA was fairly reasonable. I was not allowed to mail them to myself. In the garbage they went.

Everyone from TSA consulted with the Barista from Starbucks who thought it was "COOL"

Thankfully all before the cavity search.

[Cavalier]

We've managed to travel without issue with two self-inflators in our carry ons.
After a few trips we discussed the consequence of them being confiscated due to the cannisters. We now take two jackets with the cannisters removed in our carry ons, and pack the cannisters along with a third jacket (complete with cannister), to make it obvious what the cannisters are for, in our checked luggage. This way, the worst thing that can happen is that we have to find relatively inexpensive replacement cannisters upon arrival: better than losing your jackets or getting a free colonoscopy at the airport!

[ovrmyhead]

Originally Posted by bellayangs

the rule said that the air can't bring co2 cartridges ,but some still with it

Wha?