Western New Yorkers Are Making This Huge Travel Mistake

If you are looking forward to your next trip, make sure you pay attention to what is in your carry-on.

Travelers across the country have been making this mistake at airport security, and there’s been an increasing number of occurrences at the Buffalo Niagara Airport. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You don’t know what you don’t know?” I guess that could apply to this. 

Pets were not allowed on an aircraft until 1989, when a TWA airline attendant, Gayle Martz, wanted to take her Shih Tzu on an airplane with her – but it was not in accordance with airline policies. 

Upset with the rules in place, Martz created a bag that would safely carry a pet and fit under the seat in the cabin. It later was named The Sherpa Bag, and one by one airlines changed their policies to allow for pets to board commercial aircrafts. 

Now, when you travel, it’s advised to keep your pet in a carrier, but that doesn’t mean they should be left in the carrier when going through the airport’s screening area. 

An Uptick In Scanned Pets

If you’re traveling by plane soon with your pet, make sure you let TSA know you have an animal with you. Many people have left their pets in the carry-on and put them through the X-ray machine, and the TSA is asking travelers to please stop doing that. 

Why Are Travelers Putting Pets Through X-Ray Machine?

According to a report from WGRZ, a veteran TSA screener at the Buffalo airport suggested a reason as to why this is happening: the modern pet carriers are increasingly being designed to look like ordinary luggage, making travelers think that it should go through the security machine. 

How Should You Screen Your Pet?

The proper way to go through security, according to the TSA, is to tell the screener you have a pet, and they will let you carry it through with you after it is removed from its carrier. 

What Happens If Your Pet Goes Through an X-Ray Machine?

Even if your pet goes through the airport X-Ray scanner, they shouldn’t suffer any ill effects to their health as a result. 

It is more so a jolting experience for the screener, as it is uncomfortable to see an animal’s skeleton on the X-Ray screen.