Everyone has stories about their own workplace, but when it comes to what people actually try and sneak into airports, employees at TSA are not left out. From recently proposing to a loved one to finding tens of thousands of dollars in a rice cooker, there’s always something crazy happening with passengers trying to get their hands on contraband in airports. Images of these tasks help give you the sense that if someone can do these things, anyone could. As the TSA continues to tighten security measures, it’s no surprise that they’re increasingly confiscating unusual items from passengers. From cigars to golf clubs, here are some of the weirdest things that have been taken from travelers in recent years.
#1: Computer Python
When you find the perfect computer, make sure it checks all the boxes with regards to its specs and price – is it a good product, and does it work as intended?
Pythons don’t typically live at home and they certainly aren’t small enough to fit in these security checkpoints, so something had to have gone terribly wrong when this thing was found. This is already the kind of day we never thought we’d have.
#2: Leave Your Chainsaw at Home
Traveling can be stressful and packing for a trip can be difficult. Bring everything because that is better to know what you’ll need when it comes time to pack.
Unless you are considering bringing a chainsaw on your future trip, chances are you won’t need one. Having a manual one at the airport is just not practical due to size and weight of the tool in comparison to other items.
#3: Here Kitty Kitty
For many people, pets are their children. The thought of leaving your loved ones behind is too sad to contemplate. They could take them with them wherever they go, but that would be so hard for both parties involved.
Unintentional travel from country to country is not as complicated as animal ownership regulation. There is nothing wrong with carrying your furry friend with you, as long as the conditions are appropriate and the animal has obtained a permit for its species.
#4: Droppings Just For You
When you go on a trip, or even just a vacation, it is customary to buy gifts for the ones you love. Whether it’s something small or something big, bringing home a souvenir from your trip can show someone how much you care about them. But if you bring them something that would repulse anyone else–like moose droppings–that guest might not want anything more to do with you.
Fortunately for this passenger, who was caught trying to carry home some moose droppings from their vacation in Alaska, this is not an acceptable gift. What were they thinking?
#5: Snakes on a Plane
When the movie “Snakes on a Plane” was first released in 2006, it created a buzz among the public. It seemed like an outlandish idea at the time, but after watching this movie you can’t help but wonder if there really is a way to smuggle a snake onto an airplane.
Imagine coming across a snake in airport security. Even as a TSA worker, you might feel shocked to find that there is a literal snake in front of your eyes. It looks especially dangerous…
#6: Ceremonial Scissors
Whether or not the scissor is cool doesn’t mean it should be brought to an airport. Scissors are a popular item that is used in the air and they should be in the country, but just because people need scissors doesn’t mean they should carry them around with them.
Many people don’t realize that scissors are not allowed to be taken onto airplanes and hence, these people brought monstrosity-sized scissors on a plane. Although it was frustrating for them to get kicked off the airplane, it would have been a better idea to check their belongings beforehand in order to avoid throwing them away.
#7: Calling All Farmers
There are some things that we tend to use in our day-to-day lives that we can’t bring on planes, but sometimes these items are appropriate for a time and place.
Of course, this rusty shovel, rake, or hoe is unlikely to make it on the flight with you. Why would anyone even try to save that?
#8: Nightmare at the Airport
If you love watching horror films, you have definitely seen the movie Nightmare on Elm Street at least once in your life. The film is horrifying and gruesome; it’s been the subject of a lot of nightmares since its release. My favorite aspect is Freddy Krueger’s razor claw–scary in its own right!
While it’s no wonder that you’ll run across some strange items at airport security, one wonders how would this item end up in someone’s checked-in luggage. It’s also hard to imagine what could happen if this made it through TSA without raising any suspicion.
#9: Talk About Good Reception…
People will do the craziest things to try and smuggle a dangerous item past airport security. We now have more respect for all TSA employees due to everything we have seen so far. How do they pick up on all of these inconspicuous items?
Maybe because this particular phone has now been replaced, this stun gun was thrown away. It doesn’t take a lot of coverage to pick up on something like this though, and it’s gone for good.
#10: Bad Hair Day
When it comes to traveling, there are certain things that make the journey difficult. You aren’t able to shower, or even do your hair properly. It can really put a damper on the whole travel experience.
When someone’s hairbrush becomes a way to defend themselves from intruders, sometimes the security needs to be taken off them. When your hairbrush also happens to double as a dagger, life gets a little more dangerous… How likely is it that the owner didn’t know there was actually a knife inside?
#11: For Me? You Really Shouldn’t Have…
Giving someone a gift that is lacking in meaning, such as ‘just because’, can be quite stressful and down right awkward. But don’t worry, there are many other occasions when you can receive flowers relatively easily and let them know you care.
Some people are getting a bit more creative with their methods of sneaking small hidden items past airport security – but an x-ray machine will always find them.
#12: Can’t Catch Me
When it comes to trying to get rid of your drugs or guns before going through airport security, it can be a dangerous job. But some people think if they hide their stash somewhere creative, then maybe they will be able to smuggle something past the TSA.
But the mere idea of trying to hide knives, or any other dangerous item in your bike, is not helpful. Also, it’s actually impossible to effectively cover up knives since the airport security specialists are quite impossible to fool. The best thing is to just not hide anything inside of anything!
#13: Skeleton in the Closet
Though we feel ready for security guards when we travel, most of the time they give us a hard time. It can feel stressful and hard to know what they want. They continue to check you over and over again without giving any explanation why. This is infuriating yet unavoidable…
It would be interesting to know why someone brought a human skull in their carry-on baggage and what role the airport authorities played in that. Without any evidence, we just hope the authorities were able to figure out what happened with this unusual occurrence.
#14: Pizza To-Go
Even though you are going on a jet plane, the low-key atmosphere of an airport is where you can indulge in junk food. There is nothing better than getting aboard a flight and thinking to yourself: “I can eat an entire pizza by myself?”
Apparently, this passenger brought pizza to the airport despite being on a plane.
#15: No Bow and Arrows on this Flight
It is easy for most people to understand what can go in different-sized luggage. Unfortunately, there are others that have a tough time remembering weapons are not allowed on the aircraft. Half of us believe you can bring anything onto an airplane this passenger forgot the rules about weapons.
If you want to spend your time playing with bows and arrows, be our guest, but just don’t bring them in your carry-on luggage. There is no situation in which these don’t get confiscated and that is just a shame for you and your newfound favorite hobby.
#16: May the Force Be With You
When encountering a stuffed animal, one has the impulse to associate warm feelings. Whether it is in the shape of a teddy bear or is an heirloom of a favorite childhood figure, stuffed animals bring comfort and joy.
Darth Vader isn’t a very popular character, but he might have made it to the air. With the help of airport X-ray machines, we could avoid knives in his suit.
#17: Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo
With a catchy, memorable jingle and easy-to-remember lyrics, Baby Shark has become an anthem for children. Just thinking about it is bringing a flashback to when our mind wouldn’t stop singing “Baby shark” as well.
It seems that people are trying to be funny by bringing a baby shark in a jar to the airport. This draws unwanted attention from the TSA workers who had to hear “Baby shark” all day long.
#18: My Favorite Shade of Lipstick
One-of-a-kind items, such as camp pink lipstick, are sometimes caught by TSA workers. Although not all of these objects are intriguing, there’s nothing quite like the new shade of lipstick.
Security at airports got a lipstick hidden in a purse and made it all seem elegant.
#19: Smuggle Town
Even though it may seem obvious, some people are still unaware that it is illegal to smuggle things on an airplane. For example, you can’t bring live animals, fruit, fish–anything foreign into the plane’s cabin.
A passenger attempted to bring an additional bag of fish into the US. The unknown criminal moving violations were handed to the US Fish and Wildlife Services.
#20: Smells Fishy
We have never worked for the TSA before, but it seems like they sometimes find ridiculous items that make them laugh. But everyone deserves to laugh every once in a while…
TSA confiscated this fish because it was strange to bring to the airport, but you can’t tell if it is a real or fake fish.
What Does The TSA Do?
The TSA is the Transportation Security Administration, a federal agency within the United States Department of Homeland Security that was created on April 25, 2002. The TSA has its own police force, known as the Transportation Security Police (TSP), to enhance security at transportation checkpoints and in the air traffic control system.
Since its inception, the TSA has seized a wide variety of items from passengers, including guns, knives, explosives, and even live animals. Here are some of the strangest things confiscated by the TSA.
Who Are The TSA Workers?
The TSA is one of the most feared and notorious federal agencies. While they’re often considered to be intrusive, loud, and unsanitary, what many people don’t know is that many of the TSA workers are actually volunteers.
In fact, only about 10% of the TSA workforce is actually employed by the government. The rest are made up of volunteers who are often recruited through social media or word-of-mouth. This includes everything from retired police officers and military personnel to college students and members of the public who simply want to help out in a patriotic way.
Interestingly, many of these volunteers have had some sort of prior security experience. This includes things like having worked as a security guard or having undergone training at a law enforcement academy. In fact, many of the employees at the TSA have backgrounds in law enforcement or security.
While this might seem like a disadvantage at first, it actually makes the TSA more efficient than traditional government security agencies. For example, the TSA has been known to be extremely quick and effective when it comes to detecting weapons and explosives. This is thanks in part to the extensive background checks that they perform on all of their workers.\
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