The Living Crustacean You Can Actually Bring Through Airport Security

There are lots of foods you should never try sneaking past airport security, because it'll be confiscated or they'll make you throw it away. However, even if you won't be flying anywhere with that big bottle of water in your backpack, there are some live animals that chefs (or anyone planning to cook) can legally bring onboard a plane. As an example, would you believe that lobsters can fly?

According to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), you are allowed to bring a live lobster through airport security. There are, naturally, a few rules: the lobster must be in a clear, plastic container which is completely spill-proof, and a TSA officer must inspect it before you or the little guy is allowed to go any further into the airport. While lobsters are generally allowed in any checked baggage, the TSA does advise that you check with your airline before you go tucking that container under a seat on the plane. As always, it's up to individual TSA agents at the security line to give the final say on who or what gets through. In any case, best of luck to you both.

Perhaps you're asking, "Why do I need to know this?" Well, if you work in seafood, you may already know that lobsters spoil incredibly fast once they die, which is why they're so often sold alive instead of butchered. There are plenty of home cooks who opt for frozen lobster because it lasts longer; it may even be considered to be more humane depending on whether a live lobster is kept in a fresh tank, or one of the crowded lobster tanks in a subpar grocery store seafood department. Still, if you find a fresh, spry lobster in a clean tank, you can safely pack it up for a flight and it'll stay fresh.

There's even an airport where you can even buy live lobsters after the security checkpoint and carry them directly onto the plane. If you just thought, "That must be in Maine" — which is considered to be the lobster capital of the U.S. — you're right on the money. The Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine, has a restaurant called Linda Bean's Maine Lobster which sells both lobster roll lunches and live lobster that's packed and ready to carry onto the plane. A live crustacean will set you back a pretty penny, depending on market value; if you wonder why lobster costs so much when it's cooked, live lobster goes for even more. By all means, though, feel free to pack up your own lobster for your flight, so long as the airline gives you the go-ahead.