Is TSA About to Abandon This 19-Year Old Rule?

Flying can be extremely stressful — actually, if we’re being honest, it pretty much always is, even if we’ve gotten to the airport five hours before boarding starts.

You’ve gotta make sure you didn’t accidentally pack any banned items, then make sure your gate didn’t randomly poof away (because, you know, sometimes it does that), not to mention make sure you’ve got plenty of snacks and drinks to tide you and your family over for the actual trip. However, we’ve got great news — it’s possible that one of the most stressful parts of flying could get EASIER!

Regulations on liquids when flying have been strict since 2006, and now, most flyers are totally accustomed to the 3-1-1 rule. However, earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that changes could be coming to TSA’s liquid limits, according to ABC.

Her exact quote was, “The liquids, I’m questioning. So that may be the next big announcement, is what size your liquids need to be.” So does that mean the size allowed will go up? If so, what will it go up to? This follows the announcement earlier this month that travelers will be able to keep their shoes on when going through security.

While airlines and airline security changed forever after the September 11th, 2001 attacks, the change in liquid limits didn’t come until 2006, after authorities foiled a plot that used liquid explosives in carry-on luggage. The rule is currently that no liquid can be more than 3.4 ounces, because laboratories found that any substance under that amount was not enough to blow up an airplane.

Southwest at Orlando International Airport

If this were to take effect, it would mean fliers have two fewer things to worry about when flying, which could speed up the security process without sacrificing safety, thanks to how far technology has come in detecting what’s in bags.