( CNN ) -- Want to buy that bottle of Johnnie Walker Explorers Club at an airport duty-free shop abroad before your return to the United States ? Maybe you 've never splurged , since you do n't want to place it into your checked baggage , as required for your connecting flight home . Now there 's a way . The Transportation Safety Administration 's 3-1-1 rule has been relaxed just a little bit starting Friday , for people coming to the United States from abroad . Travelers who buy alcohol or other liquids at those duty-free airport shops abroad can bring them into the United States on an international flight and carry them onto a connecting flight . This slight relaxing of the TSA 's 3-1-1 rule affects only some people returning home to the United States from other countries . Before January 31 , a traveler who purchased wine at the Paris airport duty-free shop before flying to New York and on to Omaha , Nebraska , faced a dilemma . Once he cleared U.S. Customs in New York , the TSA required him to pack any liquids into his checked luggage before clearing TSA security to fly to Nebraska . Now , the TSA will permit international travelers to carry liquids in excess of 100 mL in their carry-on baggage , `` provided they were purchased in duty-free shops and placed in secure , tamper-evident bags ( STEBs ) , '' according to the TSA website . The liquids must be screened and cleared by TSA checkpoint security officers , utilizing the same bottled liquid scanner technology that is used to screen medically necessary liquids in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces , according to a TSA official . Just do n't drink your duty-free booze on that flight to celebrate . That 's still not allowed . The safest bet is still to check your liquids . That 's because the agency still reserves the right to not clear your favorite drink or lotion . Liquids in metallic , opaque or ceramic bottles or other containers that can not be scanned properly will not be allowed in carry-on luggage .
The FAA has eased up on the 3 - 1 - 1 rule , just a little . The change affects only liquids purchased at duty - free airport terminals abroad . Travelers transferring to a domestic terminal can carry on their liquids .