TSA gears up for holiday travelers, answers questions on social media

Thousands of Americans are traveling for the holidays, and that means going through TSA security.

TSA has made it easier for people to know what they can and can't bring on your flight.

When in doubt, you can search any keyword on their website at tsa.gov, or this year you can send a picture through social media of the item in question to TSA and get an answer within 20 minutes or less.

"I'd rather them be stricter, even if it's inconvenient,” Sherri Banks said.

There are some things you just can't bring on a plane. A machete is one of them, whether it's packaged or not.

"Where are you going to need a machete? I just don't know,” said Jan Harris with the Transportation Security Administration.

Living in a military town, Colorado Springs TSA sees a lot of novelty items or plaques that look like weapons.

"Even though this is soap, it's a realistic replica of a hand grenade. So we do see quite a few different items that are going to shut down my security checkpoint and cause a longer line for the passengers,” Harris said.

The craziest thing they've seen?

"They had the motorcycle and all of its parts. It would have been okay, however, there was fumes from the gas tank. So the fumes were a prohibited item because of it being combustible,” Harris said.