August 1, 2024

Traveling can be stressful, especially when navigating through TSA checkpoints with a cooling vest. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules and regulations can be daunting, but don't worry – we've got you covered.

We've created a concise guide to help you breeze through the TSA line and get to your destination in no time.

1. Packing Dos and Dont's

Can I take my ThermApparel Cooling Vest on the plane with me? The TSA guidelines don't say anything specific about cooling vests except for "The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint."

Our customers have reported varying experiences when it comes to travelling with their ThermApparel Cooling Vests. While some have been able to take it on board while wearing it or in their carry-on luggage, others have had issues getting it through security. However, we have found that everyone has been able to place it in their checked luggage without any difficulties.

The TSA has an easy visual guide on what is and is not allowed on luggage. Firearms and other flammable objects are never allowed on flights but other seemingly innocuous items may raise a red flag for security reasons. Familiarize yourself with the list to avoid mailing things back home.

Save yourself a headache and double-check everything before you leave for the airport. One simple thing in your rush to get things ready for traveling can make all the difference in your TSA experience. The TSA's Travel Checklist helps to make sure you have everything ready!

2. Tips for traveling with your UnderCool Cooling Vest.

• Unless you need the cooling vest on the plane to keep yourself cool, put it in your checked luggage.
• Always travel with the cooling packs in their frozen, solid state. All TSA agents will raise a red flag if they see strange-looking pockets of liquid. 
• Pack your ThermApparel Cooling Vests in the any insulated cooler bag. It will keep them compact and safe from damage. 

3. Take 2 sets of paperwork. 

It's important to carry 2 sets of the ThermApparel Safety Data Sheet, as well as 2 sets of your medical paperwork. For added protection, store one set in your carry-on luggage and the other in your checked baggage. A helpful tip is to keep your documents in the front pocket of your ThermApparel Cooler Bag.

• Medical Note from your doctor stating why you need a cooling vest
• ThermApparel Safety Data Sheet 
• TSA Notification Card (see #4)

4. Familiarize yourself with TSA exceptions

 If you're traveling with a child, senior or someone with a medical condition, the TSA has special procedures and exemptions in place for you. To receive alternative screening methods, the TSA recommends submitting a TSA Notification Card to a TSA officer, indicating your medical condition. It's always a good idea to call ahead and inquire about these alternative methods, so you can travel with confidence.

1. TSA’s toll-free helpline or online form, called TSA Cares, enables travelers or families of passengers with disabilities and medical conditions to call 1-855-787-2227 with any questions about screening policies, procedures, and what to expect at the security checkpoint 72 hours prior to traveling. If you need in-flight assistance or wheelchair assistance from the curb to the flight, please contact your airline. 
   
   The helpline is staffed on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Injured service members and veterans including individuals associated with the Wounded Warrior Program may contact TSA Cares to help facilitate the screening process. By asking questions on the helpline, travelers arrive at the airport knowing the screening process and procedures that they will experience, thus reducing the anxiety about the unknown.
    
2. The TSA Contact Center is a customer call center that is available to answer questions by e-mail or toll-free phone at 1-866-289-9673. Staff is available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends/holidays; and an automated service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    
3. Passenger Support Specialists are highly trained TSA officers at airports who have special training in successfully engaging with, and screening, individuals who have disabilities or medical conditions, or who travel with medical devices. Travelers requiring accommodations to the screening process, or who are concerned about the security screening process at the airport may ask for a Passenger Support Specialist or a Supervisory TSA Officer who can provide on-the-spot assistance.
    
4. The TSA website has an entire section devoted to traveling with disabilities, medical conditions, and medical devices. The link provides a host of information via a drop-down menu that allows viewers of the web page to select detailed information on the specific situation with which they have a question. Situations include traveling with medications; Alzheimer’s, dementia, aphasia or a brain injury; autism or intellectual disabilities, blind or low vision; deaf or hard of hearing; use of external medical devices; implants and use of internal medical devices; mobility disabilities, aids, and devices; prostheses, casts, braces or support appliances; recent use of radioactive medication and materials; respiratory equipment; and use of service dogs and animals.
    
5. A helpful interactive Twitter account, @AskTSA, allows individuals to tweet a question about the screening process for medical devices and for medical conditions, from traveling with a temporary condition (e.g., a cast on a broken arm or leg) to traveling through a checkpoint wearing an ostomy pouch beneath one’s clothing. Travelers with questions about the screening process can contact a TSA employee for live assistance 365 days a year via Twitter. Tweet questions and comments to @AskTSA from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends/holidays. Or, the traveler may send the question to TSA via Facebook Messenger.
    

5. Familiarize yourself with airline-accessible travel services

If you're traveling with medical equipment, it's essential to check with both your arriving and departing airports to ensure that you meet all guidelines.

Upon arrival, inquire about any special procedures for retrieving your checked equipment at a designated baggage claim. Additionally, ask whether the airline provides in-flight assistance or wheelchair support from the curb to the flight.

You may also want to reach out to the airline (via phone or online) to learn more about their policies on carrying or checking medical devices on board.

Airlines

Air Canada Accessible Travel Services - 1-800-667-4732

Alaska Airlines Accessible Travel Services - 1-800-503-0101

American Airlines Accessible Travel Services - 1-800-237-7976

British Airways Accessible Travel Services 

Delta Airlines Accessible Travel Services - 404-209-3434

Emirates Accessible Travel Services - 1-888-320-1576

Frontier Airlines Accessible Travel Services 

Hawaiian Airlines Accessible Travel Services - 1-800-367-5320

Jet Blue Accessible Travel Services

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Accessible Travel Services

Southwest Airlines Accessible Travel Services - 1-800-435-9792

United Airlines Accessible Travel Services - 1-800-228-2744

Airports

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Accessibility 

Boston Logan International Airport Accessibility  

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Accessibility

Chicago O'Hare AccessibilityDallas Fort Worth International Airport Accessibility 

Denver International Airport Accessibility 

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport Accessibility 

JFK - John F. Kennedy International Airport Accessibility

LAX - Los Angeles International Airport Accessibility

Miami International Airport Accessibility

Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport Accessibility

Newark Liberty International Airport Accessibility

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Accessibility

San Francisco International Airport Accessibility

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Accessibility

6. Know your rights

The Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights describes the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act and its implementing regulation, 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 382.

The President has also signed a five-year reauthorization of the FAA which includes provisions to make air travel more accessible for people living with disabilities, including training requirements for properly stowing assistive devices and assisting passengers with limited mobility. 

7. Discover Sunflower-friendly places

What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower? It is a simple tool for you to voluntarily share that you have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent – and that you may need a helping hand, understanding, or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces. Search for places that support people with invisible disabilities.

Traveling to a Disney Park?

Check out this blog for ADA tips for visiting Disney Parks. 

Do you have a Cooling Plan?

Check out this blog. ThermApparel was able to set up an individualized Cooling Plan and Timeline for a Father of the  Bride to be able to keep his heat sensitivity under control and enjoy his daughter's wedding!

If you need help putting together a Cooling Plan and Timeline for your wedding, event or vacation call 855-232-7233 and talk to Julia. This is a free service from ThermApparel. We want to make sure you enjoy your event or vacation and not worry about how to survive it. 

Happy Travels!

Video Transcription:

"Hey everybody, it's Julia from ThermApparel. We're gonna do some quick Facebook Live videos just to answer some questions that people have been asking lately. Right now everybody's starting to travel again. Yaaaay! Because things are opening up, we're getting lots of questions. And the main question we're getting is, can I take my Undercool cooling vest on the plane? And the answer is: maybe.

We've had customers tell us that, yes, they haven't had any issues wearing it through security or having it in their check luggage and getting on the plane with it. And then we've had other customers tell us no, they could not wear it through security, and I could not put it in my carry on luggage.

The official word from the TSA, because they do have -- let me backup -- they have a visual guide, that can show you everything you can and cannot take on the plane. And there is nothing in there about cooling vests. So their final word is, "the final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint." 

So our tips for traveling with your Undercool cooling vest are unless you need it, to keep you cool on the plane, just put it in your checked luggage. The other one is always always always travel with the cooling packs in their solid state, like this. Not like this in their liquid state for a couple of reasons...

One is there's, the three ounce rule, you can only have three ounces of liquid if you take it in on your carry on luggage. And also, any TSA agent that sees this go through the X ray machine will most likely raise a red flag and want to see what's in your luggage because it looks like a very odd liquid substance and they will question what the heck this is. And so if it comes in through its solid state, it's not considered a liquid, it's considered a solid. And it can go through easier.

The other one is you can carry a medical note from your doctor telling them why you need the cooling vest. And the other thing is you can download, print, and carry with you the ThermApparel safety data sheet, which I have a copy of it right here.

So it would give the TSA agents and anybody that needs the information as to what's the composition of the cooling fluid? What's the flammable properties of it? What's the physical and chemical properties of it? What's the regulatory information of it, the hazards, the SARA, the 302, 313, everything that you could possibly need to prove that it's good to go.

The other thing is that the TSA has a TSA notification card. It's a notification for individuals with disability and medical conditions. And this is obviously a very large version of it. But you can download it from their website and print it out, fill it out, and take it with you when you go through TSA security.

And we have all of this information on a blog on our website that says how to prep for the TSA and can I take my Undercool cooling vest on the plane with me. So if you have any questions at all, you can always reach us via live chat on our website. You can call us or you can send us an email and we're happy to answer any questions. So travel safe this holiday weekend. Have a great time and stay cool."

ThermApparel is a small business making big waves in the heat sensitivity world by designing the first lightweight, comfortable and invisible cooling vest, UnderCool. Check us out online, on our blog, or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Please let us know if you have any other questions or ideas in the comments below, we will follow up. You can always reach us via:
Live Chat - www.thermapparel.com  |  Email - contact.us@thermapparel.net  | Phone - 855-232-7233 |  Address: ThermApparel LLC. 125 Tech Park Dr. Rochester, NY 14620

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