PORT AUTHORITY OF NY & NJ
SECURITY
TSA SECURITY ALERTS FOR THE TRAVELING PUBLIC

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS PROVIDED
COURTSEY OF THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NY&NJ
For current information check the
Port Authority Website at:

http://www.panynj.gov/aviation.html#newsecurity

or call:
For current Airport status:
(718) 244-4444 for JFK
(973)961-6000 for EWR
(718)533-3400 for LGA

Passenger Security Awareness Tips / Airport Security Bulletin

We are experiencing great changes in the way you, the traveling public, will be using the United States air transportation network. The added requirements of safety and security mandated by the FAA will impose some new constraints on how to use the aviation system.

These enhanced security initiatives are in place at Port Authority airports. The new measures will require travelers to be aware of changes in airport baggage check-in and security screening. The new procedures will require extra travel time, and most important, patience from passengers.

Please arrive at the airport well in advance of your flight time for both domestic and international flights - due to increased time it may take to get through airline ticketing and security. Please check with your airline for further flight information before leaving for the airport.

Please keep the following list of helpful tips in mind as you plan your trips and when you arrive at the airport to ease your trip. It is imperative that travelers check with their airlines before heading to the airport. A complete listing of airline contact information can be found at JFK, EWR or LGA.

GETTING TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT:

  • Check with your airline to make sure your flight is operating before coming to the airport. Do not come to the airport without confirming your flight.
  • Public or private ground transportation is available to the airports. A variety of convenient options are available. Taxis, courtesy vans, shuttle buses, rental car buses/vans, and other bus services will continue to provide pick-up and drop-off service to the terminals as previously.
  • If you drive, parking is available. However, parking availability and measures to control parking facilities are subject to change due to heightened security measures.

For more information, please call (800)AIR-RIDE or follow the links below:

BEFORE YOU GO:

  • You CANNOT bring the following items listed below on your person or in carry-on luggage.
    • Knives of any type.
    • Any cutting and puncturing instruments such as pocketknives, box cutters, ice picks, straight razors, scissors, and metal nail files.
    • Corkscrews and blades of any type or size.
    • Athletic equipment that could be used as a weapon such as baseball/softball bats, golf clubs, pool cues, ski poles and hockey sticks.
    • Weapons - firearms, ammunition, gunpowder, mace, teargas, or pepper spray.
    • Aerosol spray cans - hair spray, deodorant, insect repellant, or butane fuel (such as in curling iron refills, scuba tanks, propane tanks, cartridges, and self-inflating rafts.
    • Explosives - fireworks, sparklers or signal flares.
    • Flammable liquids or solids - fuel, paints, paint thinners or cleaners, lighter fluid, and perfume (no more than 16 oz.)
    • Other hazardous items - dry ice, gas-powered tools, wet-cell batteries, camping equipment with fuel, radioactive materials, poisons, infectious substances.
    • IF IN DOUBT, DON'T PACK IT.

AT THE AIRPORT:

  • Parking is available in most parking lots. Vehicles may be subject to search prior to parking. Please reduce the numbers and types of packages and equipment in your vehicle to only those necessary for travel or road safety measures.
  • If you are meeting passengers at the airport, please park in the hourly or metered lots and meet them on the baggage claim level.
  • Do not leave vehicles unattended at airport terminal curb frontages for any period of time. If your car is left unattended it will be towed.
  • Watch your bags and personal belongings at all times.
  • Report any unattended packages or baggage
  • Any where in the airport or on the airplane to airport security, airline personnel, or Port Authority Police.
  • Never carry anything around the airport or onboard the aircraft for another person, especially for someone you do not know.
  • Report any suspicious activities or individuals in the airport, on the airplane or in the parking lot to airport security or Port Authority Police.
  • Don't joke about having a bomb or firearm.
  • Don't discuss terrorism, weapons, explosives, or other threats while going through the security checkpoints. The mere mention of words as "gun," "bomb," etc., can compel security personnel to detain and question you. They are trained to consider these comments as real threats.

CHECKING IN:

  • As mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, the availability of curbside baggage check-in is severely restricted and subject to rapid change. Please check with your AIRLINE to determine if they are currently offering this service.
  • You will be required to have government issued ID when you check-in for your flight, such as a valid driver's license or passport. You may be asked to produce this ID more than once during the check-in process. Please be prepared to show ID as well as boarding cards at each stage of the boarding process.
  • Only ticketed passengers will be allowed through security checkpoints. Special arrangements can be made with your airline for accompanying children and those needing special assistance to get to the gate.
  • If you have an electronic ticket, you should check with your airline in advance. Within certain guidelines, the airlines will determine what ticket documentation (tickets, boarding passes, or reservation confirmations) their security screeners will allow, so please check with the airline in advance if you have an electronic ticket.
  • Automated kiosks are available for airlines that have appropriate security measures in place. Please check with your AIRLINE to determine if they are currently offering this service.
  • Be prepared to answer questions about your bags. When asked who packed your bags and if you might have left them unattended at any time, think carefully and answer the questions honestly. Criminals may use unsuspecting passengers to carry bombs or other dangerous items onto aircraft.
  • Be cooperative as screeners ask to hand search your bags. Security personnel will search a bag if the X-ray scan cannot determine it's contents.

SECURITY SCREENING:

  • Travelers are limited to one carry-on bag and one personal item (e.g. purse or briefcase).
  • Checked baggage may be subject to limitations at any time. When you plan your travel try to minimize the number of pieces and size of luggage you will be carrying. Check with your airline prior to departure to determine your best course of action.
  • As per federal legislation, effective January 18, 2002, 100% baggage screening procedures have been instituted at all U.S. airports. This is in addition to the other new procedures already in place following the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Airlines at JFK International, Newark International and LaGuardia airports are using one or more of the following baggage screening techniques:
    • Baggage matching - all baggage loaded onto the aircraft must be matched to passengers on board the originating flight or the baggage will be removed.
    • Hand searches
    • Bomb sniffing dogs
    • Explosive detection equipment

For more information please contact your airline directly. Phone numbers and web links are available at JFK, EWR, and LGA. In addition, please refer to the FAA and U.S. DOT web sites.

  • Only ticketed passengers will be allowed beyond the screening checkpoint. If you have a medical, parental or other specific, verifiable need to accompany a ticketed passenger, please check with your airline to determine how they would like you to proceed.
  • Electronic items such as cellular phones, paging devices, laptop computers, personal listening devices (CD players), electronic toys and games, etc., may be subjected to additional screening. Be prepared to remove your laptop from its case so it can be X-rayed separately. The necessity of screening these devices will create delays in your check-in process. Whenever possible you should place these items in your checked baggage.
  • Leave gifts unwrapped. Airline security personnel will open gifts if the X-ray scan cannot determine the contents.
  • If you have a medical condition that requires you to carry a needle and/or syringe on your person or in your carry on baggage you must also have the medication that requires such injection on your person. The medication must be packaged with a pharmaceutical label or professionally printed label identifying the medication.
  • Please avoid carrying bottles of liquid through the screening checkpoint. The necessity of screening of these items will increase your check-in processing time. Please plan to purchase any food items you may wish to carry on board the aircraft once you have completed the screening process. Food, gifts and other services are generally available in the concourses beyond screening. If you have special dietary needs, please contact your airline to confirm the services provided on your flight.

Please keep these tips in mind as you plan your trips and when you arrive at the airport. Please be patient with the service agents who are there to assist you, they too are experiencing changes to the way they conduct their business each day. If we work together we can make the system safe and effective for every traveler. If we work together we can make the system safe and effective for every traveler.

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