Travel tips for flying with gifts

If you’re flying to a holiday get-together, here are some tips from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to help speed your way through airport security.

• Do not gift-wrap carry-on items. Security officers are required to remove the wrapping. Wrapped gifts should be packed in your checked bags, according to TSA spokesman Christopher White.

• Do not bring remote-controlled toys as carry-on luggage. “Unfortunately in this world we live in, terrorists have an interest in using remote-controlled detonators,” White said. You can put them in checked bags.

• Pies and other food, such as gingerbread cookies and the like, are permitted as carry-on items. “It doesn’t matter the consistency, though we may perform some additional scrutiny on the passenger or the plate,” White said.

• Jams and jellies are considered gels and are therefore subject to carry-on rules requiring that they be in containers no bigger than 3 ounces and that they all fit in a clear quart-size zip-top plastic bag. Otherwise, wrap them carefully to prevent breakage and put them with your checked bags.

• Every airport in the country with more than one security lane now has a designated “family lane,” but you don’t need to be traveling with children to use it, according to White. These lanes are open to any travelers who don’t want to be rushed, whether due to special needs or just wanting a few more minutes to remove shoes and coats, open laptops and deal with other items. Travelers carrying medically necessary liquids over 3 ounces should also use the family lanes, White said.