Interesting: Airlines Need Permission To Offer Hand Sanitizer

This is something taught to every junior check-in agent and ramper on the first day during their DGR familiarisation. If you don't know these regulations off the top of your head, you shouldn't be working near an aircraft.

Bottles of flammable liquid and Motorbike battery? Bottles? and a battery? Sorry for my French
WTF?

Ok, I get it, but stuff like this is also why people hate bureaucracy.

In February check-agents (in Asia) already specifically asked that passengers not to pack hand sanitizers in check in luggage. This comes as a good reminder for all of us.

My Air India amenity kit had a lemon scented hand sanitizer. Smells nicer than Purell and it now sits in my car for use after grocery store trips.

Passengers and crew are already allowed to bring up to 12 ounces apiece without issue.

And the FAA studied on board sanitizer a decade ago and found it safe ("burning hand sanitizer presents no significant risk to commercial transport aircraft fire safety, given the present cabin material flammability requirements") https://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/TN10-19.pdf

So no I'm not actually sure that it "makes perfect sense that airlines would need to have protocols for alcohol-based hand sanitizer approved."

Please note that the Delta One kits have something labeled hand cleanser (as demonstrated in the picture), not hand sanitizer.

It is recommended that you use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. The old Delta hand cleansers that I have do not specify the percentage of alcohol, but list water as the first ingredient, so presumably the alcohol content is less than 50%.

Good to know! I'd think travelers nowadays will bring his/her own travel-size hand sanitizer or wipes when traveling on a plane or train or bus.

@Gary Leff - passengers and crew may BRING their own for personal use, but that does not cover provisioning of these on the aircraft by the airline. Anything provisioned on the aircraft is classified as "aircraft stores" and has a separate DG classification for obvious reasons.

Airlines need to allow people to buy blocks of 9 seats. It would be very expensive, something I don't like doing. However, I will pay. With AA having over 50% load recently, this will be increasing impossible. I want to buy my own social distancing. (Even 6 feet might not be enough but will do)

@Sean M - I understand that the procedure is required by regulation, however it seems to me for a substance that is allowed on board (even > 250 pounds of it brought on by passengers and crew) that the FAA has studied extensively and concluded poses no material risk for the airline to provision that multiple meetings, with different FAA offices, and seeking of formal permission is indicative of a larger problem.

@Gary Leff - that is more of an FAA issue than anything else. ICAO regulations permit variation to be issued by member states at any time. Our local regulator issued this variation months ago to exempt alcohol based hand sanitizer up to 70% alcohol in containers up to 500ml and up to 2 liters per passenger in hand luggage.

Overly nervous flyers might try to use an alcohol-based sanitizer to set fire to any other passenger that comes within 6 feet. This is probably the real concern.

@NK3

S***, I didn't notice this before. I was using this stuff right before Delta grounded most international flights. Time to trash that thing.

On a side question, will TUMI still monogram the old kits? I was digging my old kits for these and uncovered some of the classic hard shell monogram kits.
I wished DL would bring back those kits. More useful that the current ones. I still wish they had kits with a 2nd purpose in mind. Like older kits that doubles as hanging toiletry bag (anyone old enough to remember when they had mirrors in those kits). Or the old AA F tablet case which perfectly fits iPad.

@Eskimo

Well, I am sure "hand cleanser" is better than nothing, but yeah, it (likely) does not meet recommended guidelines for use as a hand sanitizer. On the upside, hand sanitizer does seem to be more readily available these days, compared to late March/early April. When I go to the store, they usually have some random type/size of it.

I thought the newest iteration of Tumi kits could hold an iPad mini? I'm not 100% sure, cuz I have a full size iPad, and the kit is not that big. I liked the hard shell ones because people actually seemed to want them, so I could give them away as presents.

Yes sanitizers are different from cleansers. Also be careful with hand soap. Many hotels (especially the luxury ones) only offer "high-end" hand soap that promotes its good smell but says nothing about the hygiene effect.

@Endre if you’re ever been to Taiwan it makes complete sense.

@NK3

It can hold the new iPad mini without any case. If you have some case, even the slim ones, might not fit the Tumi pouch, mine doesn't fit with case on. The old AA one is much more padded too. I liked the hard shell too, I actually like the older one without the monogram, it looks more "Tumi" than copying idea of another mini suitcase.

Government should set a price on hand sanitizers too.
I've seen dozens of new brands pop up that make them look like designer or boutique hand sanitizers and sell them for $10. Mean while dollar stores also sell them for $1. It's really just alcohol.

This is actually utter rubbish. There is simply no harm in everyone being given their personal hand sanitizer. The fact is that in this day and age many carry a quantity with them. I'm not surprised to hear this type of news come out from the States - the land of obvious health and safety guidelines. More so, why on earth was a motorcycle battery allowed on board? Just god damn nuts.

Ummmm...I wonder how much alcohol is being stored in the form of Jack Daniels or Titos.

The onboard alcohol will work as hand sanitizer. One to drink and one to sanitize. Make mine Jack Daniels.