Airport security tips for the holidays

WASHINGTON - If you're flying to a holiday get-together, here are some tips from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to help speed your way through airport security.

• Do not gift-wrap carry-on items. Security officers are required to remove the wrapping paper. Wrapped gifts should be packed in your checked bags.

• Do not bring remote-controlled toys as carry-on luggage. You can put them in checked bags.

• Pies (and other food, such as gingerbread, cookies and the like) are permitted as carry-on items.

• Jams and jellies are considered gels and are therefore subject to the 3-1-1 rules if brought as carry-on items: They must be in containers no bigger than 3 ounces, and they must all fit in one one-quart clear zip-top plastic bag. (Otherwise, wrap them carefully to prevent breakage, and put them with your checked bags.)

• Every airport in the country with more than one security lane now has a designated "family lane," but you don't need to be traveling with children to use it, according to TSA spokesman Christopher White. These lanes are open to any travelers who don't want to be rushed, whether due to special needs, or just wanting a few more minutes to remove shoes and coats, open up laptops and deal with other items. Travelers carrying medically necessary liquids over 3 ounces (such as diabetics) should also use the family lanes, White said.

More information at www.tsa.gov.