19 Items Absolutely Banned From Checked Bags at Los Angeles’s Airport

It’s wild to think that four years ago, we were sitting at home, watching Tiger King, wondering if we’d ever walk through an airport again. With the pandemic in the rearview mirror, the U.S. Travel Association forecasts that leisure travel in 2024 will be 4% higher than it was in 2019. 

They think that Americans will take a collective 1.93 billion domestic trips for pleasure this year. If you’re starting to sketch out those long weekend, spring break or summer vacation travel plans, is a trip to or through the Los Angeles International airport part of the itinerary? We wouldn’t be surprised if it was. According to the United States Bureau of Transportation, Los Angeles, more specifically LAX, was the sixth most popular destination airport for people flying out of the Boise Airport from April 2022-March 2023. AAA said that they expected LA to be the number one destination for Idahoans during the end of year travel season in 2023, as well. 

Flying out of the Boise airport to get to LAX is relatively easy, but coming back home can be a little more hectic. It’s recommended that you arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. 

READ MORE: Flying To These 10 Destinations? Do NOT Check Your Luggage

It’s also highly recommended that you check the TSA’s “What Can I Bring” page to make sure that you’re not packing prohibited items. Most travelers are familiar with the rules for carry-ons or will check that page beforehand to ensure they’re not the reason a security line slows down. Sometimes, they overlook or are confused about what can or cannot be put in a checked bag. It’s also possible that they’ve purchased a souvenir during the trip that can’t be checked.

We experienced this on the way BACK home a few years ago. The gate agent for our airline told us we couldn’t pack our full-size (7 oz) aerosol hairspray in our checked luggage. We’d flown with a similar can of hairspray dozens of times and it was never a problem. Not wanting to miss our flight, we threw it out because we didn’t have time to argue with them even though that size can is fully admissible under TSA guidance. 

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Upon our arrival back home, we looked to see if the hairspray was against a policy the airline had. The gate agent was wrong, but at least it was just a $7 can of hairspray from a drug store and not some fancy, overpriced salon brand! 

That said, there are certain things that are absolutely banned from traveling in your checked luggage. If you pack them, you will absolutely lose the argument with a gate agent. If your bag makes its way to TSA inspection with one of these items in it, you could be subject to fines or be arrested, depending on what the item is. Fines can range from $390 all the way up to $14,950. That’s a quick way to ruin your vacation. 

We pulled 19 of the items prohibited from checked luggage off the TSA’s website, but there are well over 50 items in total. You can check the full list here. Take a peek at it so that your next trip out of LAX is an easy one!