Things you ' cannot' take with you if you're flying

Prosecutors charged 11 people with security violations for taking things to the Tulsa International Airport that are not allowed. <br/><br/>The charges are misdemeanors. The list of illegal items hasn't

Thursday, August 26th 2004, 10:11 am

By: News On 6

Prosecutors charged 11 people with security violations for taking things to the Tulsa International Airport that are not allowed.

The charges are misdemeanors. The list of illegal items hasn't changed in nearly three years, but it seems people still forget.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg has more on the crackdown at the airport.

About 3 years ago, Casey Goodwin and some friends were eager to get underway on their fishing trip and they did what a lot of people have done. "Being that we were on a fishing trip, we had our fishing knives in our pocket, and we had forgot." It cost him a good knife, but he turned it over and was on his way.

The eleven people charged were not so lucky. They missed their trip and now have a misdemeanor to deal with. Fairly unpleasant, Goodwin agrees. "I would think so, yeah."

We're pretty sure Goodwin isn't a terrorist and it seems doubtful many of the people who bring these things to the airport are but, "Even if you did it by accident, it's illegal." Mary Smith says even after 3 years of the additional regulations, people are still bringing prohibited items.

And while "you" know you're not going to try to hijack the plane with your Swiss Army knife, security doesn't, and it's a big hassle. "That does make extra work, which does slow the line down some, so I think all of those things need to be taken into consideration before you travel."

So officials say check out the list of prohibited items on the Transportation Security Administration's website before you travel if you're unsure about an item or call the airport.

And remember there's a big difference between what you can take in checked baggage and carry-on baggage.

The website list is available at www.tsa.gov. [this is a pdf file!]