The Unexpected Liquidy Food You Can Bring Through Airport Security

For years now, TSA rules and regulations have confused travelers. Whether you're taking off your shoes to go through security or watching them throw away your bottle of water, nearly anyone who has flown in the last couple of decades has faced frustration with air travel directives and what you are allowed to bring. If you're looking to have a snack on your flight, the TSA provides very thorough rules on what you can and cannot bring, and they can be surprising. For instance, did you know you can bring soup on a plane? You can, sort of.

The TSA has strict guidelines on the quantity allowed rather than the type of liquid you can carry on a plane. It seems like the nature of the liquid isn't the issue; it's just the volume. In this case, you're more than welcome to bring soup with you, but like shampoo, soda, or honey, you can only bring 3.4 ounces of it. That works out to slightly under half a cup.

A typical appetizer serving of soup is at least eight ounces, but a full meal portion could be anywhere from 12 ounces to 16 ounces. Look at most of the popular canned soup brands, and you'll notice many are about 14 ounces. So the TSA would let you bring about a quarter of a can.

Less than half a cup is a perplexingly small amount of soup to want to bring with you anywhere. If you were in a rush with a baby and planned to feed the baby some soup, this amount might work. But for the most part, it is better to leave your chicken noodle soup at home. You can pick up something at a restaurant when your flight lands if you want.

The 3.4-ounce limit is part of something called the 3-1-1 rule. Passengers can bring containers of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) in one quart-sized bag, and only one per person. The rule is in place to prevent anyone from bringing explosive liquids onto the plane, which could be hidden in inconspicuous containers. Keeping all liquids small prevents dangerous amounts from being smuggled on board. It's been determined that this volume ensures the safety of passengers and the flight.

As a general rule, when you're packing liquids for your flight, you should consider whether or not you really need them. It's going to take time for the TSA to go through your bags; the more liquid you have, the more scrutiny you will receive. Even though it may not be the worst snack for a flight, there's little benefit from 100 milliliters of soup. It is probably in your best interest to skip it entirely.

TSA regulations allow you to check soup with your baggage. If you're heading somewhere and you really want to bring soup with you, just put it in the bags that will go in the cargo hold. However, most of us are probably not doing that.