Why Can You Only Travel With 3.4 Ounces of Liquids?
By Matt Soniak
![Spencer Platt / Getty Spencer Platt / Getty](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/52044-getty-cd42883ef019d426bd4e3f0a77e3af72.jpg)
Because three ounces of explosives aren’t enough to critically damage a plane. The TSA’s 3.4-ounce limit may seem like an arbitrary pain in the neck, but there is science behind it. After the Feds foiled a liquid explosive plot in 2006, officials tested explosives and determined the amount of liquid needed for a serious blast. In fact, 3.4 ounces is the maximum amount of liquid that poses little to no risk to travelers. So while chugging a soda at the security checkpoint is nobody’s idea of fun, at least the TSA has a good reason for confiscating rogue beverages.
Oh, and since you were going to ask: Yes, you can carry a pie through a TSA checkpoint, but the agency’s website warns, “[P]lease be advised that they are subject to additional screening.”