LOS ANGELES — Passengers departing from airports in Hawai‘i continue to be responsible for a disproportionally high percentage of fireworks that are found illegally stashed in checked and carry-on baggage in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Western-Pacific Region, according to an
LOS ANGELES — Passengers departing from airports in Hawai‘i continue to be responsible for a disproportionally high percentage of fireworks that are found illegally stashed in checked and carry-on baggage in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Western-Pacific Region, according to an FAA news release on Monday.
The FAA reminds Hawai‘i air travelers that all fireworks, including the smallest sparklers, are banned from carry-on and checked bags because of the tremendous fire risk they pose to aircraft in the air and on the ground.
Friction can cause these items to ignite during flight. Because of this danger, domestic and international regulations prohibit passengers from carrying fireworks and firework novelty items in their checked or carry-on baggage, or on their persons.
Although commercial flights in Hawai‘i make up a fraction of the region’s overall air traffic, the state’s passengers accounted for more than one-third of the fireworks seizures at the region’s airports in 2008, the release states.
Fireworks are exceptionally popular in Hawai‘i, and people sometimes try to take items with them when they return home to the Mainland or head there to visit friends and family.
Violations of the hazardous-materials regulations can be expensive. Civil penalties range up to $50,000 per violation with a minimum fine of $250. Criminal convictions can result in prison sentences of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.
The FAA’s Western-Pacific Region Office of Security and Hazardous Materials proposed more than $2 million in fines for HazMat violations in 2008.
• For more information on fireworks and other prohibited items, visit www.faa.gov/passengers/prepare_fly
