Some frequent flying faux pas at the Redmond Airport

The Redmond Airport lost and found is rarely busier than during the holidays. A consistent stream of people fly in and out of Central Oregon’s hub for commercial air travel en route to celebrate the season with family and friends. The increased traffic also means an increased flow of items into the hands of either the Transportation Security Administration or the airport lost and found.

Most frequent fliers have had to “abandon” (the preferred TSA terminology) a bottle of water or a forgotten Leatherman at the security checkpoint. Many of the items taken in Redmond are innocuous enough, especially around Christmas — the occasional snow globe or a Mason jar filled with grandma’s strawberry jam.

The influx of once-a-year travelers during the last weeks of the year add to the mix with more interesting fare to match the occasion, according to Airport Security Manager Nicole Jurgensen.

Redmond Airport has yet to be featured on the TSA’s popular Instagram feed of notable no-nos, but it sees its fair share of oddities.

“Some of the more popular gifts of the season aren’t so air-friendly,” Jurgensen said. “We’ve seen shoes with heated soles powered by batteries, which have to be checked out, as well as one remote-controlled truck with a full tank of gasoline.”

The truck was an example of what Jurgensen says happens a lot this time of year: People who haven’t traveled by air in a while don’t make a habit of checking the most updated TSA regulations and those of specific airlines as well.

Seemingly every teenager wants a so-called hoverboard, for example, but most run on high-power lithium ion batteries. There’s nothing stopping them from getting through airport security — Jurgensen says it saw one in Redmond last month — but most airlines won’t allow them because the batteries can spark a fire or even explode if left on for too long.

Another area of confusion for holiday travelers comes from perishable food items such as pies or the aforementioned jam. Earlier this month, a traveler attempted to carry on a stash of portioned, raw elk meat he’d procured on a hunting trip. The issues with homemade goods don’t stem from the substance of the item but the way in which it is packaged for flight.

“Much of the food items we see are just fine, but you can’t wrap those things up,” Jurgensen said. “If it gets flagged and we have to check it, we have to unwrap it. That can be hard to deal with as a traveler.”

All is not lost if a cherished knickknack or foodstuff is placed at risk of missing the flight. It can be checked onto the flight inside the carry-on bag or even mailed somewhere safe via the airport office.

If the item is left behind, however, good luck getting it back. Depending on the type of item left with the TSA, it could go to a number of different places around the state. It might be put up for sale in a state-run warehouse, parceled out in a privately run surplus store or even tossed in the trash.

Used items such as toothpaste or shampoo aren’t even sorted beyond the garbage can. Aerosol canisters of hair spray and shaving cream are subject to protocol meant for hazardous materials. Food items join their chemical counterparts in the waste pile.

The things worth saving are usually destined for the “sharps box” full of pointed objects like knives or tools. Those boxes are shipped by the TSA at the Redmond Airport to the Oregon Surplus state warehouse in Salem. There, workers sift through to check if anything can be traced back to its owner before filling gallon bags to be sold online or in the on-site general store.

“It’s a little box comparatively to a place like the airport in Portland,” Surplus Department Manager Sven Anderson said. “Usually it’s smaller than a box of copier paper. We don’t get things like lost cellphones or clothes; I don’t know what the TSA does with that stuff.”

Items left at the airport in places other than the security line go through a similar, local process. Everything from charging cords to neck pillows winds up in the building’s lost and found, where it sits for up to 30 days. After that, it’s liable to be passed on to the Redmond Police Department, where officers discard things of little or no value like a dog-eared book or a mismatched glove. Like the state office, the police department sells what it can, except the proceeds go back to the airport.

The lesson: when packing for a trip to see the grandkids or a weekend ski retreat with friends, make sure your bags are on the up and up before taking to the skies. It might be hard to explain that Santa left everyone’s presents with the TSA. Redmond Airport lost Property