Just don't put it in your suitcase.

It could be mistaken for a bomb.

Is this story for real?

Rule # 1 of travel: Never allude to bombs, even as a joke. No one in authority will find that amusing.

Next time, he should put his pump in his checked luggage and not his carryon.

What the…

It says he could face upto 3 years in jail -

In Spanish exists the same problem: the word “bomba” is used either for “bomba de vacío” (vacuum pump) or just “bomba”, the explosive artifact.

This particular incident is silly. If this is true, the authorities who were looking at the object and inspected it should have understood that the guy was not referring to the prohibited item in question and should have questioned him further to eliminate the language limitations.

I was at La Guardia airport when a similar incident occurred several months ago: The passenger, a woman, was upset because TSA had to inspect her after setting off the the alarm when walking through the metal detector. So it was nothing related to her baggage. She said aloud: “Do I look like a terrorist to you?. Next time I come to the airport I’ll bring a bomb (“bomba”) with me.” She was obviously referring the the explosive device. Needless to say, she was arrested right on the spot and taken to the police station with two TSA screeners to testify on the incident. That makes sense because it was a threat, regardless the real intentions of that stupid woman.