Updated October 7, 2026

Flying with insulin and GLP-1 pens

At the checkpoint

TSA's medical page is direct: “TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your flight, but you must declare them to TSA officers at the checkpoint for inspection.”

• Say it first. Before screening starts, tell the officer you have medically necessary liquids. Put them in their own bin with the accessories that go with them: “freezer packs, IV bags, pumps and syringes.”
• Keep the pharmacy label on. TSA says insulin “in any form or dispenser must be clearly identified.” The original carton with the pharmacy sticker does that, and the Mounjaro and Zepbound labels want the pen kept in its carton to block light anyway.
• Needles travel with the medicine. “Unused syringes are allowed when accompanied by injectable medication.” Pack pen needles with the pens and declare them the same way.
• Pumps stay on. Tell the officer where the pump is. “You will not be required to remove medical devices attached to your body.”

Ice packs: two rules, and the medical one is looser

For ordinary ice packs, TSA says frozen items pass only “as long as they are frozen solid when presented for screening.” Slushy ones fall under the 3-1-1 liquids rule. Packs that keep medicine cool are the exception: they “may be presented at the screening checkpoint in a frozen, partially frozen or melted state.” Tell the officer what the pack is for.

Battery coolers and the FAA

• Spare batteries: carry-on only. The FAA says spare lithium-ion batteries, power banks included, “must be carried in carry-on baggage only.”
• Size: lithium-ion batteries up to 100 watt-hours each need no airline approval. With approval, you can carry up to two spares between 101 and 160 Wh.
• Checked bags: a device with its battery installed can only be checked if it is “completely powered off and protected from accidental activation.” A cooler that is switched off isn't cooling, which is one more reason to keep it with you.

Airlines can be stricter than the FAA, so check yours before you fly with any battery device.

Flying with the VialCool Ultra

• Carry it on, with the pens inside. It runs up to 48 hours per charge, so a travel day with a connection doesn't need an outlet. A car cable comes in the box for the drive at the other end.
• The battery is well under the limit. It's three 18650 cells, 33.3 Wh, a third of the FAA's 100 Wh line, so no airline approval is needed.
• At screening: put the cooler in its own bin and tell the officer it holds medication. TSA doesn't certify or “approve” any cooler; it screens it like any other electronic, with the medication declared as above.
• A spare battery ($19 when you check out) follows the spare-battery rule: carry-on only.

Packing so nothing gets warm or frozen

• Medication in the carry-on. A checked bag can be delayed for days, and you lose control of where it sits.
• Nothing touching ice. The FDA says to avoid freezing insulin when you cool it with ice, and every GLP-1 label says not to use a pen that has frozen. Wrap the pack, or use a cooler that can't go below freezing on its setting.
• Count the days. Most opened pens are fine at room temperature for a set number of days, but some labels count a total. Our tables for GLP-1 pens and insulin list each one.
• Plan for the far end. A hotel mini-fridge is the usual answer, and its cold back wall is the usual way pens freeze. Ozempic's label warns against storing it next to the cooling element.

Sources

1. TSA: Disabilities and medical conditions
2. TSA: What can I bring? Insulin
3. TSA: What can I bring? Medical items
4. TSA: What can I bring? Gel ice packs
5. FAA PackSafe: Lithium batteries
6. FAA: Airline passengers and batteries
7. FDA: Insulin storage in an emergency