bailout bottle and airport security?

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USCSS Nostromo

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Hi, all,

I dive with a small bailout bottle (a 6, twice as big as a Spare Air, still pretty small). When I fly I have to list it as a "special item" of checked baggage and pay a big fee for it. It's occurred to me that this bottle is small enough to carry aboard comfortably, but I don't know if security would let me through with it (obviously the valve would be off so they could see inside it). I'm off to the TSA website shortly to see what I can find, but I was wondering if anyone here has ever done this or has any information. Thanks for any input!
 
I carry a pony on every trip. Used to be a 13 cf, now a 6 cf. Never had TSA even blink. I put a copy of their regulation printed from their website inside the carry-on just in case.
 
I carry a pony on every trip. Used to be a 13 cf, now a 6 cf. Never had TSA even blink. I put a copy of their regulation printed from their website inside the carry-on just in case.

Many thanks! That's very helpful.
 
We carry a 13 cf tank in checked luggage. Valve out.
 
Hi, all,

I dive with a small bailout bottle (a 6, twice as big as a Spare Air, still pretty small). When I fly I have to list it as a "special item" of checked baggage and pay a big fee for it. It's occurred to me that this bottle is small enough to carry aboard comfortably, but I don't know if security would let me through with it (obviously the valve would be off so they could see inside it). I'm off to the TSA website shortly to see what I can find, but I was wondering if anyone here has ever done this or has any information. Thanks for any input!
I always travel with an AL19. Sometimes checked, sometimes in carry-on. I've never had a problem

Remove the valve, leave the tank open (no plug or tape), and attach a copy of the TSA rules to the tank.
 
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Shouldn't have to be a special checked item, if you can fit it in your checked luggage. And I'm sure you can pick up a piece of 1970's hard sided Samsonite for $5 at any thrift store, if you don't have something that will "hide" and protect the tank.

Valve off, TSA regs printed out and attached, and regardless of the regs I'd stick an easily removed piece of clear packing tape, or some plastic wrap and a rubber band, over the open end just to keep dirt (and fingers) out, but to make it easy if some nimrod really wanted to get into the tank.

You do have a potential problem if you take it aboard as cabin carry-on: Anything that can be used as a "cudgel" may be banned by the TSA agent. So if they've recently seen a movie where someone got whacked over the head with a fire extinguisher...that's a cudgel, that's a no-fly except in checked baggage.
 
Yeah. Forgot to say - If you don't tell them how are they going to know? I sometimes put my pony in my checked bag. TSA are the only ones that look inside. No one from the airline (as far as I know). My first time to Bonaire I flew Jet Blue which has a strict no scuba tanks policy. Put my 13 cf in my checked bag (valve and reg in my carry-on) and never heard a peep.
 
Don't confuse TSA regulations with airline policy. Follow TSA regs exactly. Those airline 'special rules' are usually a bunch of garbage. What they don't know won't hurt. The airline doesn't check luggage for 'policy violations', they just send it on to TSA.

I never tell the airlines what's in my checked luggage, as long as it follows TSA guidelines.
 
Jet Blue, no scuba tanks? So, I can bring this honking huge industrial CO2 bottle because that's not scuba, right?

Sigh.
 
Hi, all,

I dive with a small bailout bottle (a 6, twice as big as a Spare Air, still pretty small). When I fly I have to list it as a "special item" of checked baggage and pay a big fee for it. It's occurred to me that this bottle is small enough to carry aboard comfortably, but I don't know if security would let me through with it (obviously the valve would be off so they could see inside it). I'm off to the TSA website shortly to see what I can find, but I was wondering if anyone here has ever done this or has any information. Thanks for any input!

I'm curious: what makes it a "special item?" From what I've read you can check a scuba tank as long as it doesn't weigh more than 50 pounds and the valve is removed. I was going to bring a stainless steel backplate in my carry-on but at the last minute decided to check it because I thought they might consider it to be a weapon.

Anyone taken a pony bottle on the Cozumel/Playa ferry recently? We took the ferry on the 10th and they have a new sign that says "no scuba tanks" so I'm wondering if a pony bottle is an exception, or if there are exceptions. It also said no bombs either :wink:
 
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