A Grand Teton National Park tourist claims that forgetting to remove bear spray from a backpack before checking it at an airport got them into serious trouble with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), including a possible $1,500 fine.
Some regional airport managers told Cowboy State Daily said it’s common for travelers to get in a rush and forget to remove bear spray, which is prohibited in both carry-on and checked baggage on commercial flights.
Because bear spray is a highly compressed liquid, "like hair spray," the cans are vulnerable to rupturing or exploding due to altitude changes, said Brian Sprenger, chief executive officer of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana.
“You can imagine it going off in the cabin of an airplane,” Sprenger said. "Or you can imagine it going off in the baggage compartment of an aircraft with the baggage handlers in the area.”
From a security standpoint, bear spray might also be considered a potential weapon by the TSA, although Sprenger and other airport managers couldn’t confirm that.
As of publication time, there was no response to questions sent to TSA by Cowboy State Daily.
Intent Doesn’t Matter
The tourist claiming a recent run-in with TSA posted their tale of bear spray woe anonymously on social media, hoping it will serve as a warning to others.
The writer said that they were returning home from a five-day photography trip to Grand Teton and inadvertently left a can of bear spray in the side pocket of a backpack before checking the bag.
They stated that they had rented the bear spray “at the airport," without specifying which one, and intended to return it.
“As soon as I saw them paying extra attention to my backpack, I remembered that I had forgotten to return the spray. At first, I thought I’d just have to pay $50 for not returning it on time, but the consequences turned out to be much worse than that,” the tourist wrote.
“Turns out that what I inadvertently did is considered a civil crime … more than likely punishable with a civil penalty of up to $1,500, plus a suspension of my TSA Pre-check status. TSA does not take intention into account,” the poster added.
TSA Pre-Check status is available to travelers who pass a background check, said Aaron Buck, executive director of Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody.
Travelers with that status can skip some of the longer security lines that might build up in larger airports and possibly even be excused from taking off their shoes during security checks, Buck said.
‘They Get Chastised For It’
Sprenger said the unfortunate traveler is hardly alone.
“It’s very common at any airport in the Mountain West,” he said.
He hasn’t noticed many travelers getting nailed by TSA for it.
“Usually, they get chastised for it,” he said.
A $1,500 fine “would be extreme. Most of the time they (TSA agents) just take the spray and dispose of it,” he added.
Buck said he also couldn’t recall anybody really getting the boom lowered for leaving bear spray in luggage.
In some instances, even people who leave firearms in luggage might get off with a warning, for example if agents determine it was just a hunter making an honest mistake, he said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had an incident report regarding bear spray come across my desk,” Buck said. "And incident with a gun is a big deal, so that will come across my desk.”
At the Jackson Hole Airport, "Typically, people are asked to remove it (bear spray), and that’s that,” said Jeremy Barnum, the airport’s chief communications officer.
Rent It, Drop It Off
During the peak tourist season the Jackson Hole airport has a staffed bear spray and bear-safety-awareness kiosk, Barnum said.
Tourists can rent cans of bear spray and receive brochures about safety in bear country.
The staff also provides tutorials in how to properly use bear spray.
“It’s not going to do you any good if you don’t know how to use it,” Barnum said.
Upon returning, travelers can drop their unused bear spray cans at the kiosk.
Old or used cans of bear spray can also be dropped into recycling bins in the terminal, Barnum added.
The Cody airport has an unstaffed automatic kiosk that’s run by a contractor out of Montana, Buck said.
The contract ends this month, and he’s not sure if it will be renewed.
Tourists can make a payment at the kiosk and then “a locker with a can of bear spray in it opens up,” he said.
On their return, “they can reopen the locker and return the bear spray. It’s automatically weighed before rental,” he said.
The Cody and Bozeman airports also have public drop bins for bear spray.
Signs Everywhere
The managers said the airports have highly visible signs, reminding people to return their bear spray to rental kiosks or drop cans into the bins before checking their baggage.
Most of the time the signs work, saving airport staff, tourists, and TSA agents headaches.
“We really try to get people's attention before they get to the security screening area so that they can avoid those problems in the first place,” Barnum said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
