Know rules for Caribbean travel

We sauntered up to the security checkpoint. There was no line at all, and we had plenty of time to spare. Or so we thought.

As our acquaintance (who will remain unnamed) was clearing the security checkpoint and retrieving her carry-on from the X-ray belt, the security agent politely stopped her and asked her to open the bag. Sure enough she was carrying several bottles of fine reserve rum she purchased at a rum factory several days earlier.

Under rules enforced now at all domestic airport security checkpoints and supposedly at all foreign airports with flights into the United States, carrying more than 3 ounces of any liquid in your hand luggage through security is strictly verboten. That edict includes fine liquor and expensive perfume, as well as bottles of water and toothpaste.

With no time to buy another bag and take it back down to ticketing to be checked, she had no other option than handing the light-amber liquor to the X-ray inspector and wishing him a good party.

A rookie mistake, no doubt. She had known better, but had somehow forgotten. Chalk it up to a case of island brain. Then again, as recently as last August the best way to make sure liquor purchases made it home unbroken was to carry them on the plane yourself.

With all the people going to the Caribbean in the coming months, I wonder how many TSA security agents will raise a glass to similar passenger errors. This column has covered the new policies on carrying liquids, gels and aerosols through airport security, but a reminder is always in order.

Simply, as previously stated, the so-called 3-1-1 rule lets you take no more than a 3-ounce container of any of those materials through the security checkpoint. All the containers must fit in a single, one-quart plastic bag, and each passenger is permitted only one bag.

If you have more than that, pack the bottles or cans in your checked luggage.

This prohibition applies only to fluids brought from outside the secure zone. Once you've cleared security, it's OK to purchase bottled items and carry them on the plane. Also, many airports have duty-free shops located outside the secure area. It's also OK to buy items from them; the goods will be delivered directly to the departure gate in sealed, tamper-evident bags.

In either case, if you are making a domestic connection on your way home (as will almost always be the case for travelers to Pittsburgh International), be sure to put any recently purchased liquids into your checked bags before loading them on the conveyor for the final leg of your journey. Otherwise the liquids, even those in tamper evident bags, will be confiscated when you go through domestic security. And even though you cleared security at your original departure point, you will almost certainly have to go through security a second time in the U.S. airport.

But it's more than a matter of liquids. There's another big change of which all Caribbean travelers must be aware.

For the last year, every passenger flying to or from the United States to any Caribbean destination (other than Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), must now have a valid passport in their possession. That also goes for flights to Canada and Mexico.

Passengers must provide that passport information to get their boarding passes, and also show the actual document upon departure. This applies to all air passengers entering the United States, including children and infants.

So if you're planning a Caribbean vacation and don't have a passport, get one now. The logjam at State Department passport processing centers that made headlines last spring and summer has reportedly eased, but it will still take three to four weeks to get a new document issued.

Otherwise have a great trip, and don't forget the sunblock.