Liquids in hand baggage at UK airport – what’s altering?

Many airline passengers say the worst a part of any journey is the airport safety test. Worldwide, a mean of half a million people pass through airport security every hour. Travellers resent the restrict on LAGs (liquids, aerosols and gels) in cabin baggage, in addition to the duty to extract electronics resembling laptops and tablets from hand baggage.

The liquids guidelines have been launched unexpectedly worldwide in 2006 as “a short lived measure” to guard in opposition to explosives. Regardless of repeated guarantees they continue to be in place.

In 2019 Boris Johnson vowed the principles could be eased at main UK airports by 2022, permitting bigger portions and eliminating the necessity to have liquids individually scanned. Rishi Sunak’s authorities then prolonged that deadline to 1 June 2024.

Whereas new scanners are being put in at checkpoints in any respect the UK’s principal airports – the work was not quick sufficient to fulfill the June deadline.

The massive 4 UK hubs – Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted – stated a number of months forward they’d not be prepared in time. The then-transport secretary, Mark Harper, granted airports an extension, however warned that they may very well be fined in the event that they additional delay the roll-out of smoother safety.

Every week after the deadline, progress in aviation safety truly went into reverse, with the Division for Transport (DfT) ordering airports with the new equipment to restore the old 100ml limit on LAGs.

Simon Calder, former safety officer at Gatwick airport and present Unbiased journey correspondent, explains extra.

Cabin baggage: what are the principles?

The checklist of things that can not be taken by an airport safety checkpoints in carry-on baggage has elevated over the many years. Prohibitions have advanced in response to terrorist assaults – profitable and in any other case.

All weapons, whether or not firearms, knives or explosives, are banned from hand baggage. However there are additionally strict guidelines about bigger portions of liquids, aerosols, gels, pastes, lotions and cosmetics, extending even to yoghurt, tender cheese and Creme Eggs.

For passengers, the most effective plan is to imagine that no container for any liquid, aerosol or gel may be above 100ml.

At most airports LAGS should be carried inside a resealable clear plastic bag with a most quantity of 1 litre, and eliminated for the safety test. However at seven UK airports with superior gear already put in, the liquids may be left within the passenger’s baggage.

How did the liquids rule come about?

In August 2006 the aviation business – and baffled passengers – awoke to seek out safety guidelines for passengers had tightened in a single day. The federal government introduced that it had uncovered a terror plot to blow up transatlantic jets from Heathrow to North America.

The perpetrators aimed to take the elements for improvised explosive gadgets on board various plane. The elements, derived from hydrogen peroxide, have been meant to be smuggled aboard in tender drink containers. The plotters aimed to assemble the bombs on board earlier than detonating them and destroying the airplane. They have been later convicted of offences together with conspiracy to homicide and conspiracy to trigger explosions.

The bosses of Britain’s airways have been known as within the early hours of 10 August 2006 to be instructed their passengers could be banned from carrying something greater than a handbag or pockets into an plane cabin. Even pens have been banned from transatlantic flights, on the grounds that the ink they contained was a liquid.

One concession was made, for nursing moms: they might take milk for his or her child by the checkpoint, however provided that they tasted it first in entrance of safety workers to display it was the actual factor.

Baggage programs couldn’t deal with two or thrice the conventional variety of gadgets, and Heathrow airport floor nearly to a standstill. Flight networks elsewhere within the UK and Europe have been additionally affected.

Three months later, the principles have been eased – however with strict limits that prevail at the moment at nearly all UK and abroad airports.

Had been they at all times meant to be everlasting?

No. The bounds have been launched as a “non permanent measure” whereas airport safety know-how caught up. However progress has been painfully sluggish.

Even a really modest leisure of the principles – to permit airport purchases of drinks to be taken by checkpoints in a sealed “safety tamper-evident bag” (Steb) – took years to be applied. Many passengers are nonetheless being caught out, shedding their costly airport purchases, as a result of duty-free drinks usually are not allowed by the airport the place they modify planes.

Is there a technological resolution?

Sure. Trendy scanners use computed tomography (CT) – the identical know-how as medical scanners – to analyse the molecular construction of the contents of a passenger’s bag. The machines can detect potential threats and current safety officers with a three-dimensional picture of the contents.

They’ll additionally analyse whether or not laptops and different digital gear current a hazard.

At airports the place the know-how is put in, liquids and laptops now not should be eliminated.

The goal is that safety needs to be enhanced, with extra subtle evaluation of potential threats. The quantity of workers time consumed in “secondary searches” needs to be diminished, permitting officers to spend extra time assessing passenger behaviour.

Travellers have a a lot simpler expertise: they now not want deconstruct their cabin baggage, and the entire airport course of feels a lot smoother and fewer hectic.

That sounds nice – so what are we ready for?

The brand new equipment was first utilized in Europe at Shannon in the west of Ireland, the place “liquids, gels, pastes, lotions and cosmetics in containers of any dimension” have been allowed by safety since March 2022.

To scale back stress for passengers and enhance safety, in 2019 the government told all major UK airports to have advanced CT scanners at security checkpoints by 1 December 2022. However the deadline was missed.

Through the Covid pandemic, airports confronted catastrophic losses as passenger numbers collapsed. The duty to make the multi-million pound funding required was lifted.

In 2022, the then-transport secretary Mark Harper promised the airport expertise would turn into simpler from 1 June 2024: “The tiny toiletry has turn into a staple of airport safety checkpoints, however that’s all set to vary. I’m streamlining cabin bag guidelines at airports whereas enhancing safety.

“By 2024, main airports throughout the UK may have the newest safety tech put in, decreasing queuing occasions, bettering the passenger expertise, and most significantly detecting potential threats.”

How did that end up?

Badly, with the overwhelming majority of airports failing to fulfill the deadline. They embody the UK’s 4 largest airports, which deal with a lot of the nation’s passengers: Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.

A senior aviation determine, Jonathan Hinkles, instructed Airliner World: “For airports – many nonetheless battling to restore their monetary steadiness sheets after the pandemic – the large value of this new gear is an unwelcome burden.

“The federal government-imposed deadline date disadvantaged them of any actual skill to barter costs with suppliers of the brand new gear, and far of the brand new equipment is popping up late too.”

In April 2024, the federal government stated: “We recognise that putting in the brand new safety gear at busy airports has been a logistical problem, with some airports having to undertake vital building work to permit the brand new, extraordinarily heavy gear to be fitted. In some instances, airports have been required to assemble completely new screening halls.”

Mr Harper stated: “It’s essential we give these airports but to fulfill the deadline a second probability to get the job executed.”

The then-transport secretary stated aviation security regulation could be modified so non-compliant airports may very well be fined – although that laws was scuppered by the election being known as.

Some complied, although?

Sure. Seven airports met the 1 June 2024 deadline: Aberdeen, Newcastle, Teesside, Leeds Bradford, Birmingham, Southend and London Metropolis. As well as, Bristol airport says it’s going to have the brand new gear absolutely in place by 14 June 2024.

They noticed having the equipment in place as a aggressive benefit, with the promise of an nearly full leisure of the liquids rule – with as much as 2 litres being allowed by.

However in a shock transfer, from 9 June 2024 they have been ordered to revive the 100ml restrict. It was not a whole reversal; passengers will nonetheless be capable of go away liquids, aerosols, gels, and many others, of their cabin baggage. They have to, although, be in containers of 100ml or much less.

Why did that occur?

It was not the airports’ alternative. At London Metropolis and Teesside, for instance, the brand new scanners have been working nicely for over a 12 months.

A Division for Transport spokesperson stated: “This non permanent transfer is to allow additional enhancements to be made to the brand new checkpoint programs.”

Mr Harper later stated: “We’ve reintroduced that rule whereas updates, modifications are made to the scanning gear on the airport to verify we are able to proceed delivering our world-leading ranges of aviation safety.”

The Unbiased understands the transfer has nothing to do with fears of weaker aviation safety. As an alternative, it resulted from issues about lengthy queues at UK airports because the summer time rush – amplified by soccer followers departing for Euro 2024 in Germany.

Ministers concern that delays at safety checkpoints might construct up as a result of the brand new gear is mis-identifying many innocuous gadgets in passengers’ baggage as posing a menace.

Sources have instructed The Unbiased that innocent liquids resembling sunscreen have been misidentified as high-threat substances. The potential converse is that harmful liquids may very well be handed as protected.

Whereas safety has by no means been compromised, various airports utilizing the brand new scanners have skilled lengthy queues on account of a higher-than-expected rejection price, with safety officers obliged to hold out hand searches of cabin baggage.

On a number of events whereas passing by checkpoints at non-fully compliant airports with the brand new equipment, I’ve witnessed the system snarling up because of the massive variety of baggage required to bear a hand search – and gone from imagining I had loads of time for a espresso earlier than the flight to sprinting to the gate.

If sunscreen reveals up as a potential menace, why does the amount matter?

As a result of the 100ml restrict was chosen as a sufficiently low quantity to keep away from an on-board menace. Successfully, the airports with new scanners can go baggage that will in any other case be rejected. The goal is to hurry up the method and scale back queues.

When everybody is prepared, will that be the tip of issues?

Not essentially: passenger confusion is a continuing downside for aviation safety. It was troublesome sufficient conveying the 2 units of guidelines, “outdated” and “new”, for gadgets carried in cabin baggage. Due to the publicity surrounding light-touch safety at a handful of airports, there are fears that travellers could infer guidelines have modified in every single place.

Worldwide, lack of conformity is a key problem for aviation safety professionals – and passengers.

At many airports liquids are restricted however can keep within the traveller’s bag. Laptops and tablets resembling iPads should be eliminated within the UK and plenty of different nations, however in some nations they needn’t be.

The European Union (and wider Schengen Space) has additionally reverted to the “outdated” guidelines in any respect airports from 1 September 2024, following issues concerning the new gear put in at some airports. Olivier Jankovec, director normal of the airports’ physique ACI Europe, stated: “These airports which have been early adopters of this new know-how are being closely penalised each operationally and financially.”

In Israel, procedures are completely totally different. The authorities say: “Passengers ought to arrive three hours previous to departure for the safety test process.” There’s generally intense questioning by officers, and laptops should be eliminated. However liquids are permitted with out restriction.

The principle problem: passengers shouldn’t anticipate aviation safety to be the identical worldwide – and even UK-wide. At some small Scottish airports including Barra, Campbeltown and Tiree there have been no security checks since 2017.

Is that this going to value me extra?

The airports which can be collectively investing lots of of hundreds of thousands of kilos might be looking for a return – and that would embody elevating charges. However the long-term goal is that new tech ought to lower workers prices, representing financial savings for airports.

Willie Walsh, director-general of the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (Iata) – representing airways worldwide – stated: “Implementing this know-how shouldn’t include a giant invoice. Actually, simplified processes ought to ship vital efficiencies.”

“Speedy deployment needs to be potential. The know-how has already been used efficiently and for a very long time at numerous airports internationally with measurable enhancements to the passenger expertise.”

Will aviation safety stay a everlasting ache?

No. In 2019 Iata described the prevailing safety scenario as “now not sustainable”. It has been working with airports for over a decade on a mission known as “Sensible Safety”.

In the end walk-through steel detectors and safety pat-down of many passengers needs to be eradicated, with know-how assessing potential threats extra successfully than people watching screens.

The passenger ought to be capable of stroll unchallenged alongside a hall flanked by detectors, barely conscious that they’re being checked.

Checkpoints will nonetheless be staffed, however safety personnel might be freed as much as do what individuals do finest, which is to review the behaviour of passengers and establish “individuals of curiosity” for additional investigation.

Nevertheless, because the reversals at UK and EU airports present, there’s a lengthy solution to go.