The Force may be with you, just not in your luggage.
That’s the message Star Wars fans received from the Transportation Security Administration in the U.S. about a new collection of stylized Coca-Cola bottles sold at a Florida theme park.
The specialty Coke, Sprite and Dasani bottles, which will be sold at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland Park, are shaped like “thermal detonators,” fictional weapons from the fantasy franchise that resemble grenades.
“Replica and inert explosives aren't allowed in either carry-on or checked bags,” the TSA wrote in a tweet this month in response to someone asking if the bottles could be packed in a suitcase. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority has similar guidelines in regards to “replica illegal weapons” and “replica firearms.”
Even without lids, the items will not be permitted in any luggage, the TSA account clarified again this week. “If our officers discover a replica item during screening and believes it's real, the item will be treated as such until advised otherwise by law enforcement,” the TSA wrote.
Some fans of the George Lucas series responded online in disbelief. “This is absurd,” wrote one Twitter user. “Furthermore they do not actually look like the explosive in the movie. Also. Thermal detonators are not real.”
“These items aren't replicas because the original items ARE A WORK OF FICTION,” wrote another.
Mocking the agency further, one user posted an image of Christmas ball ornaments and asked: “Can I travel with this packet of replica Santa grenades in December?”
