TSA Reminds Travelers Not to X-ray Their Pets When Going Through Security

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reminding travelers not to put their pets through X-ray machines.

The reminder comes after, according to the TSA, “too many” travelers have fed their furry friends through the screening machine. While pets have to pass through security just like humans, they should be taken out of their carriers and either carried or walked through the metal detectors. 

“Pets often travel with their humans and are thought of like family members, which is why it’s important that if a passenger is traveling with their pet to become familiar with the security procedures for pets and how to go through the checkpoint security screening process together quickly and easily,” the TSA wrote in a statement. “Key in the screening of pets is to know that they should never be screened through a checkpoint X-ray unit.”

While pets shouldn’t go through the X-ray, their empty carriers must pass through and be screened. A TSA officer will then swap a pet owner’s hands as a standard check for potential explosive residue.

The agency noted pet travel restrictions can vary by airline and airport.

In 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it would no longer consider emotional support animals to be service animals and many airlines in the United States updated their policies to stop allowing these animals on board. However, most airlines do allow pets, albeit with fees and breed restrictions.

Travelers who do plan on bringing pets on board should practice the animal being able to tolerate sleeping in a crate or carrier for several hours, ensure the carrier contains water, treats, and toys, and consider getting to the airport a bit later than usual so the animal experiences less time in the carrier.

Many different kinds of animals can fly on planes — like the massive bald eagle that passed through security at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport last year — but not everyone is welcome. That was the case when the TSA caught a 4-foot-long boa constrictor after a Florida traveler tried to bring it through security, claiming the animal (named Bartholomew) was an emotional support pet.