You Really Can Bring Full Coconuts on Planes, According to the TSA

Going through airport security can be a stressful experience. Do you take your shoes off? Keep them on? Take that laptop out? What about your jewelry? Does a smartwatch count as an electronic device? And don't even get us started on the liquid requirements. 

While those questions can vary from airport to airport, there is one question we can at least definitively answer for you. Coconuts, it turns out, are a totally OK thing to bring through airport security. 

As Dr. Paul Saldino, a board-certificated physician nutrition specialist, recently explained in a video posted to X (formally Twitter), he loves to take a full coconut — yes, totally intact — with him through airport security. 

"In case you guys didn't know about this amazing hack, you can bring coconuts on airplanes," he said. "I don't like to drink water in airports; you can't get water through security, but you can bring coconut water on the airplane in a coconut. Coconut water is a great source of magnesium, manganese, all kinds of good stuff."

He finished the clip by revealing he had about 10 coconuts in his bag to keep him hydrated throughout his flight. 

But hang on, is this actually true? We reached out to the TSA to confirm, and yes, it's indeed a really fun true fact. 

"Coconuts and other solid food items are permitted in checked and carry-on bags," a spokesperson for the TSA shared. The only caveat here is that, as the TSA's website added, "Passengers flying from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. mainland cannot take most fresh fruits and vegetables due to the risk of spreading invasive plant pests." So, if you are hoping to fly with a coconut, TSA suggested adding a little extra time for airport security just in case additional screening is required.

Oh, and if you're wondering how he plans to drink these coconuts, Saladino offered this tip: "For those who are curious, on top of coconuts are 3 'eyes,' one is soft. I also bring a metal straw (TSA allowed), which can be used to drink the water from the coconut through the soft eye." 

However, for the record, the TSA also allows passengers to bring corkscrews without a blade on planes, which may just make enjoying your coconut a little easier. And maybe bring an extra coconut to share with your seatmate, just in case.