There are many items completely banned from air travel; passengers cannot check or carry on these items. These include explosives such as gunpowder and dynamite; flammables such as gasoline or lighter fluid (except those in personal items and toiletries); gases (except for those in toiletries); strike-anywhere matches; oxidizers and organic peroxides; poisons including pesticides and weed killers; infectious materials such as bacterial cultures; corrosives, including mercury, drain killers and wet-cell batteries; organics such as peroxides; radioactive materials and strong magnets.
Several other items are banned from carry-on luggage, but are allowed in checked packages and bags. These include sports equipment such as bats and hockey sticks; knives and other cutting tools; firearms and firearm replicas; ammunition; tools larger than 7 inches long and dry ice, if packaged in a vented container. Ammunition must be packed in the original manufacturer's container, or an equivalent container specifically designed to carry ammunition, and must be unloaded. Some airlines require alcoholic beverages to be sealed in a corrugated cardboard box with packing tape.
The fees for checking packages vary from airline to airline. To check the first bag, fees normally range from $10-25. A few airlines still allow one or two bags to be checked for free. Additional bags often have higher fees, and oversized bags (over 50 lbs or over 62 inches) can cost anywhere from $50-150 to check. As the fees and regulations for checked packages vary widely, check with your airline to know what to expect.
