Corkscrews in Hand Luggage: Will They Pass Airport Security?

 

Are corkscrews allowed in hand luggage?

As far as corkscrews in hand luggage are concerned, the situation within the EU is not clearly regulated. However, we generally advise against transport in hand luggage, since a corkscrew at the security check is relatively likely to be classified as a dangerous (prohibited) object by an aviation security officer and confiscated accordingly.

 

Corkscrews with blade

 

We have seen in this article that even conventional corkscrews have a bad chance of surviving airport security in hand luggage in EU countries. This is all the more true for corkscrews with an additional blade/knife.

If the blade of the corkscrew should be larger than 6 cm, then you should not even think about bringing it in your hand luggage. If the blade is less than 6 cm long, you might give it a try. But please don’t be too disappointed, if it gets confiscated at the security checkpoint.

 

Corkscrews in hand luggage in the US?

How is the topic of corkscrews handled in the USA?

Well, in the states it’s like this:

Regular corkscrews are allowed in hand luggage in the US (corkscrews like the one in the featured image of this post).

However, corkscrews with blade (knife) are prohibited in hand luggage.

As always, the TSA, the American Transportation Security Administration, will provide you with this information for hand luggage in the USA. Simply type What Can I Bring on the page.

Corkscrew and you will find the two results, one Corkscrew (with Blade) and one Corkscrew (with no blade).

As far as corkscrews with knives are concerned, the question now arises, shouldn’t the corkscrew still be allowed if the blade is less than 6 cm long? Because with pocket knives in hand luggage and also with (nail) scissors in hand luggage, the rule applies that these are generally permitted in hand luggage (in many places) as long as the blade is not more than 6 cm long.

For this reason, I personally reached out to the TSA, to ask again: Are corkscrews with blades allowed in hand luggage, if the blade is no longer than 6 cm?

And their answer was: Corkscrews that include a blade or foil cutter must be packed in checked bags.

So even if you have a corkscrew with a small blade, you can NOT bring it in your hand luggage.

 

Related Questions

 

Are champagne openers allowed in hand luggage?

Whether a champagne opener makes it through the security check is up to the security officer. However, there is no general ban on champagne openers in hand luggage, but depending on the situation, such a champagne opener can be classified as a dangerous object at the security checkpoint. The smaller the champagne opener, the better your chances are that it will survive the security check in one piece. Unfortunately, these champagne openers are often made of solid metal. This is likely to make it rather difficult for you to bring them in your hand luggage. A plastic model certainly has better chances.