can you take nail clippers on an airplane
You are allowed to bring nail clippers on a plane. Much like most other nail care products, nail clippers can be brought on in both your carry-on and checked baggage.
Since 9/11, TSA has prohibited numerous “dangerous” items ranging from common sense items like guns and knives to more frustrating things like bringing certain food products, most types of sports equipment, and even many medicines.
In this guide, I’ll help you navigate the weird world of bringing nail care products onto planes and even how you can use them onboard!
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As laid out in the TSA’s Permitted and Prohibited Items List, you may bring nail clippers on a plane in either your carry-on or checked baggage.
For the safety of TSA agents, as well as your own belongings, the TSA highly recommends that any blades – such as those on nail clippers – be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury or damage.
Like nail clippers, most other nail care products can be taken on a plane in both carry-on and checked baggage, though this is not always the case.
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Just as with packing your carry-on luggage, the TSA recommends that your fingernail clippers should be sheathed or wrapped securely to prevent them from accidentally cutting a TSA agent (or especially for checked baggage, a baggage handler).
That being said, however, if they are metal, they will show up when passed through the X-ray. If in your carry-on, and your TSA agent can’t easily identify what they are (possibly because of how you’ve packed your bag and the things around it) they may want to search your bags.
Usually, the TSA agent will go through your entire bag, both to follow protocol and because the X-ray machines in airports don’t differentiate between the different layers in your suitcase, and will inspect your nail clippers.
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Once they’ve ascertained that the metal they saw on their screen is a set of nail clippers and not anything more nefarious, your nail clippers will be returned to you so you can continue with your journey.
They may, however, decide that they are a danger to other passengers (typically if they have a particularly sharp edge or an exposed corner) and confiscate your nail clippers. However, this is only really the case if your TSA agent is overly picky.
Although you can legally take your nail clippers on a plane, whether you should actually use nail clippers on a plane is a completely different ballgame.
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Things like turbulence aside, it’s highly likely the person sitting next to you will be happy with you having a mid-flight manicure. Just put yourself in their shoes; how would you feel if a stranger was doing that next to you?
Whilst they cannot legally force you to put your nail clippers away, things could easily escalate if you insist on your mid-flight manicure. If things get too out of hand, the crew may have to intervene which may result in them asking you to put your nail clippers away.
At the end of the day, think about others, not just yourself. If you really must clip your nails during the flight, politely ask the person next to you if it’s alright with them and try to work around the problem if it’s not, always remaining calm and collected in the process.
Nail Clippers Set For Fingernail Toenail
But personally, I’d recommend that if it can wait, don’t use your nail clippers (or really any other nail care products) whilst on the plane.
If you really must have that in-flight manicure and the passengers around you are happy with you doing it, you might find the following tips helpful:
Chiefly, this is because as the plane is ascending/descending, the air pressure changes (which is why your ears pop as they equalize) which means the plane may wobble ever so slightly from side to side as the aircraft adjusts to the different air pressure.
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What this means for your manicure is that if the wobble is quite sharp (as is often the case), your nail clippers may end up clipping more off than you’d like which would lead to an array of other issues which I’m sure you’d rather avoid!
Even if you are not eating, the people around you may be and do not want to keep having to check their food for your nail clippings whilst they eat.
Aside from just being polite, this will also prevent any arguments, as finding someone else’s nail in your food is likely to send tensions through the roof!
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Although the people around you may be happy with you doing your in-flight manicure around them, common courtesy dictates that you should still do it in the bathroom.
Though not glamorous, doing it in the bathroom prevents most of the potential issues mentioned earlier, even if the people around you are seemingly alright with it.
By doing it in the bathroom, you also arguably get more privacy and can take more time to get everything perfect, allowing you to use the mirror in the bathroom to you another angle should you need it, easy access to a bin for your nail clippings and the ability to quickly wash your hands when you’re done.
Can You Bring Nail Clippers On A Plane 2023? Tsa Nail Clippers
As a general rule, airlines will not stop you from taking something onboard in a carry on bag that’s expressly approved by TSA, such as nail clippers. However, once in the air, the crew has the right to confiscate anything until the end of the flight at their discretion.
Whilst you should be alright, you may choose to contact the TSA directly for an answer before your flight. This can be done via social media, by calling their help number, or by filling in the contact form on their website. Providing pictures is a great way to get a firm answer as the TSA will know exactly what you’re talking about! They do, however, recommend that you ask at least 72 hours before your flight to ensure you get a response.
If you are unfortunate enough to have your nail clippers confiscated by the TSA (for whatever reason), it is never a good idea to argue with them. They are simply doing their job and following the rules; so try to stay as calm as possible.
Victorinox Nail Clipper In Red
We are a team of writers who overcame our fear of flying to eventually fall in love with travel. Our favorite destinations include Mexico, Florida, and California. We love to share our knowledge of aviation and flying with our audience.There was once a time when packing your luggage was simple. We could just bring everything we needed for our trips without any worries.
However, times have changed and the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) now has strict rules and regulations about what you can and can’t carry on into an airplane cabin.
Keep in mind if you are putting any sharp items in your checked baggage make sure they are securely wrapped so baggage handlers don’t cut themselves.
Why Are Nail Clippers Not Allowed On Planes?
You can’t bring scissors that have blades longer than 4 inches in your carry on luggage. This means that nail scissors like these ones would be permitted in hand luggage too.
As a general rule, most nail care tools are permitted in your carry on. So nail files, tweezers, cuticle pushers should be okay.
That’s the official TSA account on Twitter saying that that particular toenail clipper set would be permitted. But it’s not always clear. Take for example this cuticle pusher and nail cleaner:
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These start to look sharp and potentially dangerous. I would not be surprised if a TSA officer would confiscate manicure tools like they did in this instance.
As always the TSA security officer has the final say on what is permitted on the plane. You can’t bring a deadly weapon on to a plane just because you have called it a nail tool.
Nail care products like nail polish or nail polish remover fall under the liquids rule. You can’t bring liquids in sizes greater than 3.4 oz or 100 ml. And you need to pack all your liquid bottles in a single quart-sized bag.
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Unless your nail care product is a solid or a power it will be limited. So creams, pastes or gels are all controlled and need to be packed alongside your shampoo and shower gel.
Take a moment to reflect that some of the terrorist attacks of 911 were carried out using simple box cutter knives. That’s why we have these security rules. It may be annoying to need to check if fingernail clippers are allowed but there is a good reason for the TSA to sometimes control what can seem like harmless items.
If you are still unsure whether or not you are permitted to bring a specific item onto a flight in your carry-on luggage there are steps you may take to find out.
Can You Take Nail Clippers On A Plane In 2023?
First, take a picture of the object in question, and then send it to AskTSA on Facebook or @AskTSA on Twitter from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern on weekdays or 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Social shares allow us to continue to publish more articles so if you can help out by sharing it would be much appreciated!Flying to attend a special occasion and
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