Flying with formula
Your rights at the TSA checkpoint, on one card.
The 3.4 oz liquid limit does not apply to formula
- Powdered formula in any quantity. Bring the whole tin.
- Prepared bottles in reasonable quantities for the trip, plus a buffer for delays.
- Ready-to-feed containers in any volume.
- Liquid concentrate as needed for the trip.
- Breast milk gets the same exemption, with or without a baby present.
At the checkpoint
- Declare it before your bags go on the belt. Say you are carrying infant formula.
- Take it out of the bag and put it in a separate bin, like a laptop.
- They may test the liquid with a strip or ask you to open a container briefly.
- You can decline X-ray screening of the liquids. They must then use another method.
- Ice packs, freezer packs and cooling gel are permitted to keep it cold.
"Reasonable quantity" is not a number the TSA has published. The practical test is whether it is proportional to the trip plus a buffer. Enough for a six-hour journey is never questioned; a case of ready-to-feed for a day trip might be.