Rodney Atkins‘ travel plans hit a hitch recently: He was stopped after airport security found an unusual item in his bag.
“My husband just got flagged at airport security,” his wife, singer-songwriter Rose Falcon, wrote in a social media post. “He had something weird in his bag …”
Video from her post shows the couple at the airport following the incident. Falcon explains what happened, then turns the camera over to Atkins.
“What was I flagged for?” he says, before pulling out the offending item: A tube of ground beef.
“He’s packing meat,” Falcon joked, adding in the caption, “Wonder what they thought it was.”
Fortunately, it looks like Atkins was able to keep his meat with him for his travels. The couple filmed their social media video after the fact, and Atkins kept the ground beef with him, so it seems like he was waved on by security after being screened.
What Items Can You Not Bring Through Airport Security?
Most travelers are familiar with the more common items banned by the Travel Security Administration (TSA), like firearms, explosive chemicals and large amounts of liquid.
But the TSA has a lengthy list of rules and stipulations for what travelers can and cannot bring in their carry-on luggage.
Read More: How Rodney Atkins’ Full-Circle Duet With His Son Came to Be
Even a seasoned traveler like Atkins might not be savvy to all the ins and outs of what to bring on a plane.
According to the TSA’s website, it’s okay to bring meat — whether cooked, fresh or frozen — in your carry-on bag.
Cooked meat can go through security with no additional caveats.
However, the package Atkins was carrying looked like it might have been either frozen or fresh, so he could have had it packed in a cooler with ice.
That could’ve caused him to be flagged by the TSA: Their website states that if food in carry-on luggage is packed with ice, the ice or ice packs must be completely frozen when they go through TSA.
If they’re starting to melt, or if any liquid has accumulated at the bottom of the container, they won’t be permitted through.
What Has Rodney Atkins Been Up to Lately?
Earlier this year, Atkins re-released his mid-2000s hit “Watching You” with his son Elijah — the same son that inspired the song back when he wrote it two decades ago.
The father-son pair first collaborated on the song in a TikTok video, which went viral.
They released a studio version in May, at performed together at Nissan Stadium during this year’s CMA Fest.
26 Country Songs Inspired By An Artist’s Child
Country music is all about the most important parts of life — love, heartbreak, faith and hard work — so it’s no surprise that parenthood is a source of inspiration for a whole lot of country songs. Full of parental advice and heartfelt messages of unconditional love, these songs are priceless gifts to the children who inspire them. But it’s not just the kids that benefit: The country fans who love these songs can relate with their own experiences of parenthood, and even share them with their own beloved children.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
