New Plane Rules? Check.

The rule about prescription pills hasn't changed: You need to place your pills in their original labeled bottles. TSA regulations state, "Nonliquid or gel medications of all kinds such as solid pills or inhalers are allowed through the security checkpoint once they have been screened. Please make sure your medications are labeled."

Check with your pharmacist and medical insurance provider to see if it's possible to package vacation meds in smaller bottles. Even if you're willing to chance checking your medication, prescription drugs should be properly labeled.

The TSA says I can't take certain things onboard but must check them. The airline says it refuses to take legal responsibility for the possessions I check. Who can I hold responsible when things arrive broken or go missing?

Anne Sclater, Washington

Most airlines simply refuse to pay for certain items, including jewelry, electronics, laptops and cash. On most domestic flights, you can claim as much as $2,500 for lost luggage, but you'll need receipts to back that up. And on international flights, liability is limited to $9.07 a pound.

So leave the valuables at home and lock your checked luggage. For details on TSA-approved luggage locks, go to http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/locks.shtm . If you believe your luggage may have been damaged or lost by the TSA during the security screening process, file a claim at http://www.tsaclaims.org/ .

I have been unable to find anything on the TSA Web site that confirms that contact lens solution is considered nonprescription medicine.

Matthew Bowman, Germantown

If you click on http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm , you'll see that saline solution is listed as a prohibited carry-on item with the caveat, "You are allowed to carry up to 4 oz. of eye drops with you. Volumes greater than 4 oz. are only permitted in your checked baggage." You also are now allowed to carry on up to four ounces of other liquid nonprescription medicines, such as cough medicine.

Other exceptions to the no-liquids rule include prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger's ticket and up to eight ounces of liquid or gel low-blood-sugar treatment. Shoes with gel heels are allowed, but no gel insoles. All shoes must be removed for screening.

Must pocketbooks be packed in checked bags?

Linda Jordan, Bethesda

Purses are still allowed as carry-on luggage in the United States. If you're traveling from or connecting through the United Kingdom, you are restricted to one carry-on bag no larger than a laptop; your purse can be placed inside the carry-on.