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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 8, 2002
It's apparently safe to take your burger in a bag or your pizza in a box to the gate at Tampa International Airport. Authorities at TIA say passengers aren't being stripped of all food despite a new rule against taking coffee and other spillable stuff through security checkpoints.
The issue has sparked something of a food fight between airlines and the federal agency responsible for aviation security.
The Transportation Security Agency's new rule says liquids or food must be in "an unopened factory sealed container or sealable/spill-proof container" to go through checkpoints.
The head of the Air Transport Association, a trade group for major airlines, called the rule "ambiguously worded and unworkable" in a June 21 letter to TSA chief John Magaw. ATA chief executive Carol Hallett asked Magaw to withdraw the rule and issue a clearer one.
"This would . . . appear to prohibit a bagged fast food sandwich, an apple in a carry-on bag or, for that matter, even an opened pack of gum or candy," she wrote. "Does it prohibit a capped carry-on beverage with a solid lid?"
The ATA has heard anecdotes that security screeners at different airports have interpreted the rule differently, ATA spokesman Michael Wascom said.
Airline passengers are frustrated when what's allowed at one airport isn't okay at another one -- not just for stopping food and drink but for enforcing a variety of security measures, he said. It all adds up to the "hassle factor" that keeps many people from flying, Wascom said.
A TSA spokesman said that while there may have been some initial confusion, screeners at various airports are now consistently applying the rule: Passengers can't carry food or drinks through the magnetometer.
And only stuff that can go through X-ray machines without spilling is permitted, TSA spokeswoman Deirdre O'Sullivan said. Ice cream cones and cups of coffee or soft drinks are out. Bags of fast food and pieces of fruit are fine. "It's common sense," she said.