TSA bans Star Wars Land Coca-Cola Bottles from all U.S. flights

[MrPromey]

So, what is it it's supposed to mimic?

Spoiler

a "weapon" that's no more real than a lightsaber

Which is why they're probably supposed to ban those too.

Look, I get it. It's stupid the same way that not being able to take a Nerf gun would be stupid (but I assume would be covered under this too):

I'm pretty sure the point isn't to keep you or me from traveling with our toy Nerf guns or soda bottles but to prevent an agent from being faced with making a judgement call on something like this:

They have to draw a line somewhere on where they can trust their people to make accurate decisions. They've obviously gone for the lowest common denominator and if you want to argue that the current TSA is broken, I'm 100% on your side.

But given the current circumstances, I can see why this rule is the way it is, even if on the surface, it seems stupid. They simply don't want to leave it up to the individual agents to determine at what point something is or isn't an obvious toy - a value judgement that is going to be different from agent-to-agent. Their goal is to make sure that nothing that can either cause harm or induce panic with fear of harm as a real weapon is allowed on like this and in the case of checked weapons, there are of course special procedures.

You'd never be allowed to just put a checked back with a gun in it go through.

In other news, anyone hear about the guy who got caught with a spent rocket launcher as checked luggage? He actually made it part of the way before they caught him:

TSA Officials Find Missile Launcher In Texas Man's Luggage

The traveler, who said he is an active member of the U.S. military, told authorities the Griffin rocket launcher was a memento from Kuwait, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

www.npr.org

Does is seem insane that they might be stopping people with Coke bottles but letting someone get half way to their destination before questing something like this?

Absolutely!

The fact that the rules are in place and this kind of crap happens though, to me both explains why these rules seem simple to the point of being stupid and that apparently, they still aren't effective enough with the current arrangement.

 

[AdamNV87]

It's just simple common sense really.

Whether it's a themed cola bottle or a plastic canister full of dreams...
If it resembles an explosive device or any object which can cause mass harm, it's best not to have it aboard an airplane.

 

[EOD K9]

A year ago my carry-on got searched because it had protein bars, they said this exact thing.

Reason being, it’s organic. C4 and organic bars look similar on a back scatter x Ray.

 

[larryz]

It's just simple common sense really.

Actually, it's the opposite of common sense.

Whether it's a themed cola bottle or a plastic canister full of dreams...
If it resembles an explosive device or any object which can cause mass harm, it's best not to have it aboard an airplane.

That's the kind of thinking that gets kids expelled from school for biting their pop-tarts into the shape of New Mexico.

Certain women's hygiene products look like little sticks of dynamite (complete with fuse!)... do you suggest they ban those as well?

 

[ddbowdoin]

The amazing thing about this is that as a photographer I carry a massive carbon fiber tripod on every flight I am on... it is literally a 3 lb stick of death, it would reap damage if used as a weapon but wait... that coke looks like a galactic grenade!

 

[GoofGoof]

I don't understand your point.

These weren't added to the list. They didn't change any rules to explicitly not allow this particular product. They just let everyone know in answer to someone's question that these fall under a category that already isn't allowed..

A new toy gun would fall under the existing rule the exact same way.

Allowing these, would be an exception to an existing rule and that's my point.

The only problem with this logic is that the rule is intended to prevent people from bringing a fake gun that looks like a real one on a plane. Not just prevent any toy gun. My kids brought action figures with guns on the plane and nobody said boo. They are obviously toys. There’s no problem with light sabers because they are replicas of a fake weapon from a movie. There’s also no problem with wands from Harry Potter Land, again a replica of a fake weapon. These coke bottles are way more similar to a light saber or a magic wand than a toy gun that maybe looks real. They don’t have to make an exception to an existing rule they just have to follow the existing rule by making a rational judgement on an obvious toy like they already have with light sabers and magic wands.

 

[GoofGoof]

It's just simple common sense really.

Whether it's a themed cola bottle or a plastic canister full of dreams...
If it resembles an explosive device or any object which can cause mass harm, it's best not to have it aboard an airplane.

Does it really look like an explosive device? I’m no trained professional but I can say without a doubt having seen these up close and held them it’s a big stretch that anyone over the age of 10 thinks these are real. I wish my imagination still worked that well. Life would be so much more interesting.

 

[thomas998]

It's just simple common sense really.

Whether it's a themed cola bottle or a plastic canister full of dreams...
If it resembles an explosive device or any object which can cause mass harm, it's best not to have it aboard an airplane.

The problem is it doesn't really resemble any type of real weapon. A real hand grenade has a lever and a pin... but more glaring than that is that a real hand grenade has so much metal in its construction compared to a bottle fo Coke that it would be a bright shining spot on any x-ray machine. I really don't fear anyone bringing on a grenade as its just not something a terrorist would do or try to do because it is so ridiculously easy to spot. If they couldn't spot a real hand grenade as it passed throught a screening machine then they would have to be blind or simply engaged in facebook on their phones instead of watching the monitor.

 

[MrPromey]

The only problem with this logic is that the rule is intended to prevent people from bringing a fake gun that looks like a real one on a plane. Not just prevent any toy gun. My kids brought action figures with guns on the plane and nobody said boo. They are obviously toys. There’s no problem with light sabers because they are replicas of a fake weapon from a movie. There’s also no problem with wands from Harry Potter Land, again a replica of a fake weapon. These coke bottles are way more similar to a light saber or a magic wand than a toy gun that maybe looks real. They don’t have to make an exception to an existing rule they just have to follow the existing rule by making a rational judgement on an obvious toy like they already have with light sabers and magic wands.

You make a good point on the action-figure toy guns. Obviously there's a point where they are making a judgement.

 

[GoofGoof]

This may clarify the situation around toy guns. Here are the official rules from TSA:

Toy Guns and Weapons
Carry On Bags: Yes (Special Instructions)
Checked Bags: Yes
While these types of toys are generally permitted, we recommend that you pack them in your checked baggage. Squirt guns, Nerf guns, toy swords, or other items that resemble realistic firearms or weapons are prohibited. We recommend emptying water guns, which must follow the 3-1-1 Liquids Rule. Replicas of explosives, such as hand grenades, are prohibited in checked and carry-on baggage. TSA officers have the discretion to prohibit any item through the screening checkpoint if they believe it poses a security threat.

So based on this, toy guns and weapons are actually OK. What is not OK are any fake guns or weapons that resemble realistic firearms and TSA officers have the discretion to prohibit any item they believe poses a security threat. I don’t believe this is the section where the ban on the coke bottles comes from though. No reasonable TSA agent would believe the coke bottles pose an actual security threat and they only very loosely resemble a real weapon. The official statement from the TSA references the bolded sentence above banning replicas of explosives. See statement below:

UPDATED: Statement on Star Wars Galaxy's Edge themed soda bottles

Statement“The issue concerning Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge-themed soda bottles has recently been brought to our attention by the general public, as these items could reasonably be seen by some as replica hand grenades. We appreciate the concerns being raised, because replica explosives are not...

www.tsa.gov

So the back and forth on comparing this situation to toy guns is not relevant. It’s specifically because the TSA has deemed the bottles replica explosives. Based on this it would be a simple fix to just require them to be in carryon bags and require travelers to take them out of their bag (like a laptop or your bag of 3-1-1 liquids) then agents would clearly see they are not actual explosives. Simple solution.

 

[HoustonHorn]

I just went through security in Orlando with my Lightsaber with the sharp Rancor tooth endcap, a Droid, and an empty Coke grenade bottle. My buddy has three bottles and a Lightsaber. Not a single issue with any of them. Imagine that - bad information on the Internet.

 

[Dave B]

This makes sense unfortunately, You cannot bring liquids on the plane, its been like that for years, you always have to throw your water bottle or drink out at security, why would this be any different, a lunatic could just empty the star wars soda and replace with liquid bomb material or something that ignites, it does make a lot of sense, now putting it in checked luggage and having any TSA issues does not make sense to me

 

[GoofGoof]

This makes sense unfortunately, You cannot bring liquids on the plane, its been like that for years, you always have to throw your water bottle or drink out at security, why would this be any different, a lunatic could just empty the star wars soda and replace with liquid bomb material or something that ignites, it does make a lot of sense, now putting it in checked luggage and having any TSA issues does not make sense to me

We brought ours home empty. The soda is cold when you buy the bottle. If you don’t drink it it will get warm and skunked (or is that just beer). Unless you want to resell it on eBay it’s probably a better souvenir empty.

 

[GoofGoof]

I just went through security in Orlando with my Lightsaber with the sharp Rancor tooth endcap, a Droid, and an empty Coke grenade bottle. My buddy has three bottles and a Lightsaber. Not a single issue with any of them. Imagine that - bad information on the Internet.

The statement from the TSA in the post above yours is a direct link from their website. I don’t think it’s bad information just poor enforcement of their own rules.

 

[Demarke]

I accidentally left one unattended in the pouch on my row on Slink Dog Dash last week after my passholder preview, must've terrified the next person to come across it, glad they didn't clear out the park!

I think the TSA ban will likely be seldomly enforced (much like with the Nerf guns) and may just be a way of dealing with a portion of their staff that may be too stupid to know the difference and confiscate the object with the vaguely arabic looking writing on it and "scary" looking cap. This way, when a traveller complains, they can just point to a policy and say, "whelp, you shouldn't have had that item anyway" rather than trying to track the items down, compensate the traveller, or otherwise deal with the headache.

As others have pointed out, I can't imagine there being an issue with an empty one, particularly if you kept the empty bottle and cap separate.

 

[drizgirl]

I just went through security in Orlando with my Lightsaber with the sharp Rancor tooth endcap, a Droid, and an empty Coke grenade bottle. My buddy has three bottles and a Lightsaber. Not a single issue with any of them. Imagine that - bad information on the Internet.

Imagine that. Inconsistent enforcement of a TSA policy.

 

[HoustonHorn]

To be clear to all who post here, this is what is purportedly being banned, despite the fact that it clearly exists at MCO (I packed the cap separately due to the rumors, and I am not digging it out):

 

[Disney Loving Swede]

https://www.tsa.gov/news/2019/08/28/updated-statement-star-wars-galaxys-edge-themed-soda-bottles

UPDATED: Statement on Star Wars Galaxy's Edge themed soda bottles

“The issue concerning Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge-themed soda bottles has recently been brought to our attention by the general public, as these items could reasonably be seen by some as replica hand grenades. We appreciate the concerns being raised, because replica explosives are not permitted in either carry-on or checked bags. We have completed our review, and instructed our officers to treat these as an oversized liquid. Because these bottles contain liquids larger than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters), they should be put in checked baggage or emptied to be brought on as carry-on item. TSA officers will maintain the discretion to prohibit any item through the screening checkpoint if they believe it poses a security threat.”

 

[GoofGoof]

https://www.tsa.gov/news/2019/08/28/updated-statement-star-wars-galaxys-edge-themed-soda-bottles

UPDATED: Statement on Star Wars Galaxy's Edge themed soda bottles

“The issue concerning Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge-themed soda bottles has recently been brought to our attention by the general public, as these items could reasonably be seen by some as replica hand grenades. We appreciate the concerns being raised, because replica explosives are not permitted in either carry-on or checked bags. We have completed our review, and instructed our officers to treat these as an oversized liquid. Because these bottles contain liquids larger than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters), they should be put in checked baggage or emptied to be brought on as carry-on item. TSA officers will maintain the discretion to prohibit any item through the screening checkpoint if they believe it poses a security threat.”

Kudos to the TSA for coming to their senses and acting quickly. We should probably add this to the original post and/or title of the thread to avoid pages of people reacting before realizing the policy was overturned. @TP2000

 

[bclane]

While the TSA has reversed their previous decision to ban SWGE Coke bottles, passengers are forbidden from bringing the following products on a plane as they have been deemed impossible to distinguish from weapons of mass destruction:

Candy Crush color bombs may continue to be used for the time being but are currently being evaluated for safety.