nail clippers on plane

Zawistowski30058 April 23, 2023 Comment

Flying to attend a special occasion and must keep your nails all clean and pretty? Or are you the type of traveler who can’t live without bringing your own set of necessities, including your nail kit?

It’s not just about the typical nail cutter. A manicure kit might contain the following: fingernail clippers, toenail clippers, a nail file, a cuticle pusher or nipper, and bottles of nail polish (

The Transportation Security Administration is an agency established in 2001 in the U.S. to “protect the nation’s transportation systems.” Their stringent procedures and security screenings, to be honest, are quite dreaded by any traveler.

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Not sure about the contents of your luggage? The TSA published a list of items that are acceptable or prohibited in any carry-on or checked baggage.

✈️ ⚠️⚠️: Less than 3.4oz / 100 ml allowed. Must fit comfortably in a single quart-sized resealable bag with other travel sized liquids, lotions and gels.

TSA has been directly corresponding with travelers through their social media accounts.People have been sending in queries, along with photos to confirm if their nail clippers will pass the screening.

Can You Take Nail Clippers On A Plane In 2023?

TSA has verified other nail care tools that can be carried on a plane or those with restrictions for flights within and departing from the United States.

TSA-approved items via carry-on bags are cuticle pushers, nippers, glass or metal nail files, and even UV nail lamps or nail dryers!

Yes, UV/LED lamps for nails are allowed in carry-on bags on flights within and departing from the U.S. Safe travels!— AskTSA (@AskTSA) October 30, 2019

Can You Bring Nail Clippers On A Plane? (yes, But ...)

@AskTSA am I allowed to bring a glass nail file in my carry-on bag? I can only find info for metal files 😭— Kimi 🖤🤍💜 (@Kimik0rn) July 31, 2019

Thanks for asking, Dee! A nail file, tweezers, cuticle pusher and nail clippers are allowed in carry-on bags.— AskTSA (@AskTSA) August 19, 2019

Thanks for asking, Lola. Power tools must be packed in checked bags. Your UV nail lamp is also allowed in checked bags.— AskTSA (@AskTSA) September 28, 2021

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For flights within and departing from the U.S., yes, it is permitted. The TSA has confirmed this through their list, and several times via @AskTSA.

Other carriers such as Delta, Southwest, and American Airlines did not specifically note anything about nail clippers.But they do ask their passengers to refer to the TSA’s list of permitted and prohibited items.

Case in point, there were several posts about their nail clippers being confiscated at the airport or the small blades attached to the clippers getting “snapped off” as the checkpoint officer probably deemed it to be a prohibited item some years back.

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One of my pet peeves are rules that don’t make sense. TSA confiscated my nail clippers with a 1 inch blade that is so full it couldn’t cut butter. But a lady on the flight had a full 5ft “walking stick”. pic.twitter.com/838AuP972A— Pro-Thicccc (@kent_aight) August 28, 2021

Soon after air travel resumed after 9/11/2001 then -brand new- TSA @ LAX took me aside to go through my carryon bag AFTER it was X-ray’d The agent took out my fingernail clipper, bent & snapped off the 1” nail-cleaning “blade” gave the clipper back & waved me on. Check it, Neal— Michael Pope (@gunsmoke317) December 25, 2019

While it is not illegal to have nail clippers on board, your seatmate or the other passengers might take offense to you cutting or cleaning your nails around them.

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The same goes with applying or removing nail polish in-flight. There was even an instance that a woman got arrested by the authorities. This was after the situation escalated between her and several flight attendants due to her painting her nails.

The FAA or the Federal Aviation Administration noted that the flight crew should be consulted first before using items that emit strong fumes or odors, like that in the case of nail polish and polish remover.

While nail clippers are TSA-approved in flights within and departing from the U.S., this policy varies in other countries.Some countries have about the same policies as the TSA when it comes to nail clippers, such as Canada and U.K.

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But there are airlines that consider nail clippers, nail files, scissors, and the likes as restricted items in carry-on bags while some totally ban these from aircrafts.It would be good practice to check the country or airline’s policies prior to your scheduled flight.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to items you are bringing on board: always think if it can be used as a weapon or a dangerous instrument that can hurt other passengers.If yes, then it might be better to put that inside your checked bags, or leave that at home.

Rochelle plans to travel the world and take a jump shot photo in each country. She keeps a stash of refrigerator magnets from every place she’s visited, intending to organize a creative wall display someday. Rochelle also loves to marathon-read fanfictions and make herself hungry in the dead of night by searching for new recipes.You are allowed to bring nail clippers on a plane. Much like most other nail care products, nail clippers can be brought on in both your carry-on and checked baggage.

Can You Bring Nail Clippers On A Plane? (through Tsa)

Since 9/11, TSA has prohibited numerous “dangerous” items ranging from common sense items like guns and knives to more frustrating things like bringing certain food products, most types of sports equipment, and even many medicines.

In this guide, I’ll help you navigate the weird world of bringing nail care products onto planes and even how you can use them onboard!

As laid out in the TSA’s Permitted and Prohibited Items List, you may bring nail clippers on a plane in either your carry-on or checked baggage.

Can You Take Nail Clippers On A Flight?

For the safety of TSA agents, as well as your own belongings, the TSA highly recommends that any blades – such as those on nail clippers – be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury or damage.

Like nail clippers, most other nail care products can be taken on a plane in both carry-on and checked baggage, though this is not always the case.

Just as with packing your carry-on luggage, the TSA recommends that your fingernail clippers should be sheathed or wrapped securely to prevent them from accidentally cutting a TSA agent (or especially for checked baggage, a baggage handler).

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That being said, however, if they are metal, they will show up when passed through the X-ray. If in your carry-on, and your TSA agent can’t easily identify what they are (possibly because of how you’ve packed your bag and the things around it) they may want to search your bags.

Usually, the TSA agent will go through your entire bag, both to follow protocol and because the X-ray machines in airports don’t differentiate between the different layers in your suitcase, and will inspect your nail clippers.

Once they’ve ascertained that the metal they saw on their screen is a set of nail clippers and not anything more nefarious, your nail clippers will be returned to you so you can continue with your journey.

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They may, however, decide that they are a danger to other passengers (typically if they have a particularly sharp edge or an exposed corner) and confiscate your nail clippers. However, this is only really the case if your TSA agent is overly picky.

Although you can legally take your nail clippers on a plane, whether you should actually use nail clippers on a plane is a completely different ballgame.

Things like turbulence aside, it’s highly likely the person sitting next to you will be happy with you having a mid-flight manicure. Just put yourself in their shoes; how would you feel if a stranger was doing that next to you?

Another Tsa Outrage

Whilst they cannot legally force you to put your nail clippers away, things could easily escalate if you insist on your mid-flight manicure. If things get too out of hand, the crew may have to intervene which may result in them asking you to put your nail clippers away.

At the end of the day, think about others, not just yourself. If you really must clip your nails during the flight, politely ask the person next to you if it’s alright with them and try to work around the problem if it’s not, always remaining calm and collected in the process.

But personally, I’d recommend that if it can wait, don’t use your nail clippers (or really any other nail care products) whilst on the plane.

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If you really must have that in-flight manicure and the passengers around you are happy with you doing it, you might find the following tips helpful:

Chiefly, this is because as the plane is ascending/descending, the air pressure changes (which is why your ears pop as they equalize) which means the plane may wobble ever so slightly from side to side as the aircraft adjusts to the different air pressure.

What this means for your manicure is that if the wobble is quite sharp (as is often the case), your nail clippers may end up clipping more off than you’d like which would lead to an array of other issues which I’m sure you’d rather avoid!