Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on what you can and can't pack in your checked bag

Every day, thousands of items are confiscated from travellers everywhere, meaning it's important to remember what you can and can't pack before your next flight.

Weapons and explosives are obviously a no-go, but there's plenty of lists to consult about what you can pack in your checked bag - and what has to stay in your carry-on.

BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton explains further - and reveals what can happen if you don't pack your power banks properly.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks AB Travel with Wendy Wootours Where the
World Is Yours book Now.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Now, if you're wondering if you can take your knitting
needles on a flight with you, we have all the
answers for you this morning. Joining us in our travel segment,
Meghan Singleton, good morning, good.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Morning, And yes, you can even metal knitting needles. I
know it's a surprise to me that the only disclaimer
or prerequisite for that is that it must have a
yarn knitted onto the needles. So you can't just take
a whole bunch of needles with you. It's got to
be a little project you're working on. But I have

(00:49):
to say still makes me nervous. And I've got a
photo I've just updated the blog post today of a
lady I took. She was knitting on an American Airlines
flight just the other day, and I said, excuse me,
is it okay to bring you knitting? I've honestly taken
my knitting before and it's not been a problem. And
she says, I do it all the time, But I
would be so terrified that the item that I've spent months,

(01:12):
I took two years in nit a poncho. If they
confiscated there, I would be so devastated. However, so my
tip there would be just make sure at the check
in counter when you've got the chance to stick it
in your luggage before it goes through, would double check that.
Every airline still has that same rule, but generally knitting
needles are fine.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're talking about this today because actually it was somebody
who was on your tour last week, who left the
tour headed to Hong Kong from Kosamui and was on
the flight that the power bank exploded on.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah. Look, you know we do a cursory glance, don't
we when they say at the checken counter, have you
got any of these packed in your luggage? You know,
explosives and lighters, and you just go no. But actually
what they're really asking is any power banks, any lithetan
batteries that you've got in your in your luggage. And
the reason is because and I don't even know how

(02:05):
this did it, but this power bank did explode and
it was in the cabin luggage. It set fire to
the carpet, it injured the passenger and the person beside
him the cabin filled with smoke, and my friend honestly
thought that her time was up. I mean, how terrifying.
So the flight got diverted to Bangkok because it's only
last week, and I just thought, well, oh, update this post.

(02:28):
It's just a timely reminder that battery packs and cells
and things like that need to be in your cabin
luggage for this very reason that it was quickly dealt with.
The crew were apparently marvelous and they put it out
and then they of course had to divert the plane
and clean it all up, and everyone had to go
on their merry way on a different plane. But yeah,

(02:50):
so I got a hold of the CIA this week
just to double check all the things that we can
and can't take in our checked in luggage that goes
in the hold. It was pleased to see that aerosols
are allowed, because a lot of people say, oh, you
can't put aerosols in it in your hold luggage, but
actually you can, rest easy so that your deodorants, your

(03:11):
insect spray, that's okay, it's not going to blow up
in the back of the plane. And so I've got
a link there people can actually read everything. It's basically
anything that has a battery that can be detached. So
your Electric Truth brush is fine because the batteries within
the Electric Truth brush itself. Yeah, so I mean it's

(03:32):
sort of a differentiation. Your your little portable speaker, that's fine,
that can go in there because the battery stays as
part of the unit. But yeah, but a little reminder
for us.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
No wonderful. And I always get I always get a
bit confused. I always get to who I give you
to hang on. This goes in there, and this goes
in there, and this goes in there. So it's great
to have that all on a blog if you're planning
on traveling shortly and you're too get a bit confused.
Blogger at large dot com.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on a hard radio