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I am very confused about the limitations of bringing water aboard a plane that is traveling to the US. Do they allow you to carry a bottle on if you need to take medication? And is it only for certain airports? I've seen so many people post about having their water confiscated and I'm very worried about this.

I have a long-haul flight and need a lot of water for my medications and just to hydrate in the hot economy class of Emirates.

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    There isn't a limitation on bringing water onto the plane, there is a limitation on bringing it through security. Once you're through security you can fill up your water bottles and take them on the plane
    – Midavalo
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 0:39
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    @Midavalo that's basically a complete answer
    – mlc
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 2:30
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    Sometimes the extra security for US flights are at the gate and if the bathrooms in the gate area lacks drinking water it could be a problem. Or does the extra security always allow water?
    – Anders
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 2:33

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On almost all flights to the US you can bring as much water as you want (or can) as long as you buy or fill after security.

Every once in a while there may be an extra water bottle check at the gate where they search all carry on luggage for bottles and remove them. As far as I can tell there doesn't seem to be any discernable pattern on when this happens or not. I've flown the exact same route just a few weeks apart and one time they searched and another time the didn't.

However, this is exceedingly rare these days and from Dubai, you should be fine. In the rare event that they actually do confiscate your water, you should contact the flight attendants when you board and let them know that you'll need lots of water for medical reasons. They will happily accommodate you.

Tip: bring an empty water bottle and fill it after security. Almost all airports these days allow empty bottles and have fill stations in the secure area.

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    Also note that the secondary water search is usually quite rudimentary. I've gotten away with a full 1.5L bottle during such a search because it was stored in a side pocket.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 2:41
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    When is "after security"?, is it the first security for getting airside or the second security for US bound flights that selected passengers must go through?
    – Anders
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 9:37
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    "and have fill stations in the secure area." is sadly absolutely not true. It's true in some constrainted geographical regions (a subset of the minority of the world where tapwater is drinkable typically), but for the large majority of airports worldwide this is absolutely not true.
    – David Mulder
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 13:08
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    @Anders: first security for getting airside. Second security (US specific) may or may not happen and can take on all different shapes, but water searches are exceedingly rare these days.
    – Hilmar
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 14:22
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    @DavidMulder: OP is flying with Emirates so it's most likely from Dubai which does have drinking fountains airside. A good resource here is: wateratairports.com/topic/dubai-dxb-airport
    – Hilmar
    Commented Dec 29, 2023 at 14:24

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