Guide to TSA Approved Travel Locks

Before stowing your bags under the plane your bags will need to be checked by TSA. Usually they will screen your bag with an x-ray, but sometimes the TSA agents will actually need to open your bag to inspect to inside. This is where TSA Approved Locks are helpful. They allow agents to open the lock with their special keys and relock it, so it is safely secure for the rest of the journey.

TSA's job is to screen each passenger's baggage before they allow it to be placed on the plane. TSA worked with several companies to develop a universal standard of locks so that master keys could open the locks and allow passengers to also lock their bags without interfering in TSA's operations.

TSA Locks have either the Travel Sentry or Safe Skies mark. These certify that the lock is guaranteed to be a TSA lock.

The TSA List of Locks

The following locks are certified to be TSA approved:

American Tourister Accessories

Atlantic Luggage

Austin House Travel Essentials

Brinks

Brookstone Easy Check

Delsey Luggage

Eagle Creek Travel Safe

EasyGo

eBags

Franzus Travel Smart

Kenneth Cole Luggage

Lewis N Clark Magellan's

Master Lock

Pacsafe by Outpac

Prestolock SearchAlert

Royal Traveller by Samsonite Accessories

Samsonite Accessories

Samsonite Luggage

Sharper Image

Target Embark

Tumi Luggage

Voltage Valet

Benefits to owning a TSA lock

Keep your bags locked and secure.

The locks come in different sizes to fit different bags.

Only TSA Agents have the keys to unlock them.

Negatives to owning a TSA lock

The locks cost more than usual locks.

Anyone who has a TSA key can unlock your bag.

Where to buy TSA approved locks?

TSA approved locks can be found in most places where locks are sold. This includes Target, Wal-Mart, and Ace Hardware

Travelsentry.org has a listing of all the places where these locks are sold as well as a listing of the different types of Sentry locks.