TSA have clarified a rule for passengers flying with toys – after a six-year-old boy was reduced to tears when his stuffed animal was confiscated.
A family flying out of Bradley, Connecticut described how their son was left crying after airport guards suspected his beloved toy was a “possible explosive”.
A rule around flying with toys has been clarified by TSA[/caption]
On the TSA‘s website, they lay out rules for what passengers can and cannot bring on board flights.
And it clearly states that stuffed animals are allowed.
Mum Jenna Lucky told the I-Team her son Gabriel went everywhere with his stuffed dog Petey – adding that no family trip was ever complete without the toy.
She said: “Ever since he had it, it went everywhere with him. It was his toy. It was his plaything.
“It was his buddy, you know?”
The family flew to Connecticut with toy Petey without any problems in mid-May.
But on the way back he was flagged by airport security and pulled off the x-ray machine.
Jenna said: “The TSA agent and his supervisor came up to us and explained, you know, we need to do more testing on this animal.
“It got flagged. You know, it’s a possible explosive.”
Security refused to give back the toy.
The mum said her son was crying: “They stole my Petey. They’re taking my Petey. Ohh no.”
Passengers have experienced various tests on their stuffed animals.
A viral video on TikTok showed a dinosaur being examined before TSA eventually gave it back so the passenger could board the plane.
But others commenting on the footage claimed they had their stuffed animals thrown in the bin or cut open.
A TSA spokesperson to the I-Team what the policy with stuffed toys were to clarify the confusion experienced by flyers.
They explained that passengers should check certain weighted stuffed animals.
Certain materials, such as lead, osmium, or metal bearings, could be added to the toy to make it heavier.
TSA officials at Bradley Airport said Petey was flagged after going through explosive trace detection – known as ETD screening.
They added that luggage does not always go through ETD screening, but is required to if something is flagged by the x-ray scanners.
Sometimes there are random ETD screenings.
Because TSA did not want to cut Petey open to see what was inside -destroying him in the process – the dog couldn’t fly.
The family was given the option to put the toy dog in a checked bag, but they declined out of fear they would miss their flight.
Gabriel’s mum Jenna said: “My main goal is to really just bring awareness to the situation and hope that maybe TSA can provide, you know, a better process.
She stressed the importance of having “a little bit more understanding of these types of situations”.
TSA managed to mail Petey back to the family – and the dog returned home about three weeks after the ordeal.
The rule sparked controversy after a six-year-old was left in tears[/caption]
