Flying through RDU at the holidays? How to avoid snags at security checkpoints
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- TSA advised RDU travelers to pack for checkpoints and avoid prohibited items
- Avoid wrapped gifts; foods may be inspected; liquids over 3.4 oz must be checked
- TSA will charge a $45 fee starting Feb. 1 for passengers without REAL ID-compliant ID
If you’re flying somewhere this holiday season, you probably know you shouldn’t bring guns, knives or other weapons in your carry-on bags. But what about that bottle of olive oil you’re giving to your sister or the box of homemade brownies?
There are potential pitfalls for even seasoned travelers preparing to get through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoints over the holidays. The TSA held a primer Friday at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to highlight what travelers can do to help ensure a smooth trip into the terminal.
“The delays quite frequently are caused by prohibited items,” said TSA spokesman Carter Langston. “If we can get passengers to pack for the checkpoint experience, then we’ve helped.”
One bit of holiday-specific advice is to not bring wrapped presents through the checkpoint. They won’t all cause suspicion, but if there is something inside that a TSA officer feels the need to inspect, that present will need to be opened, Langston said.
“The most heartbreaking place to have to unwrap a gift is inside the checkpoint,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking for the officer involved. It’s really heartbreaking for the passenger who has to watch their gift get unwrapped.”
The TSA urges people to pack wrapped gifts in their checked baggage or bring items in gift bags that can easily be inspected.
Other items that might give officers pause are food such as those brownies or a loaf of banana bread. On a scanning machine, those can resemble explosives and will need to be taken out and examined.
And that bottle of olive oil or the wine you’re bringing for Christmas dinner? If it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, it won’t get through the checkpoint. Place that in your checked baggage as well.
If you’re unsure about what items might or might not be allowed through an airport security checkpoint, go to TSA.gov and click on “What Can I Bring?” in the top right corner.
Fee for passengers without REAL ID-compliant identification
You may have heard that the TSA will soon begin charging a $45 fee for passengers who arrive at airport checkpoints without a REAL ID or other form of identification that meets federal standards, such as a passport.
The agency will not begin charging that fee until Feb. 1.
The federal government began enforcing stricter identification standards required by the REAL ID Act on May 7. Since then, travelers without a REAL ID or other compliant credential have been subject to special screenings to verify their identity before being allowed through airport security. The most common way involves a TSA call center called the National Transportation Vetting Center.
But starting Feb. 1, the TSA plans to use an automated system it calls TSA Confirm.ID. Travelers without REAL ID-compliant identification will need to go through the TSA Confirm.ID process and pay the $45 fee before being allowed through the security checkpoint.
Nationwide, Langston said, about 95% of people going through TSA checkpoints now have a REAL ID-compliant ID. But that still leaves tens of thousands each day who could have to pay the fee come February.
And a note on airport parking
RDU had a record number of passengers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when the TSA screened more than 33,000 people on Nov. 30. The Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year holidays are spread out, and so no travel day is expected to be that busy.
But lots of people will be traveling over the next two weeks, and airport parking lots may get full. The airport suggests people book parking at least 24 hours in advance at parkrdu.com to guarantee entry into a parking garage or lot.
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 2:26 PM.
