The beginning of the end for the 100ml rule

[SHD]

One advantage of flying with an infant: being able to pass 1/2 L water bottles through security!

 

[Grumpy Git]

Now we just need more advanced scanners that mean we don't need to take laptops/tablets out of our bags.

I came home via Schipol (AMS) as long ago as 2017/2018 and used a scanner where all my stuff including laptop were ok to be left in the bag.

Manchester on the other hand is still like something out of the dark ages and drives me mad. Totally unfit for purpose.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Shannon Airport has recently abolished the 100ml rule at security citing more advanced scanners. After over 15 years it's a very interesting change.

Couldn't come soon enough. I just had some vegan chocolate spread taken off me in Berlin for being a 'liquid'.

I asked the guy to get his supervisor as it was clearly nonsense, and the supervisor very, very apologetically said that they'd had orders from the security manager at the airport to not allow it. He was incredibly decent about it, and he expressed the same wish that the liquids rule would go sooner rather than later.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Couldn't come soon enough. I just had some vegan chocolate spread taken off me in Berlin for being a 'liquid'.
I asked the guy to get his supervisor as it was clearly nonsense, and the supervisor very, very apologetically said that they'd had orders from the security manager at the airport to not allow it. He was incredibly decent about it, and he expressed the same wish that the liquids rule would go sooner rather than later.

Mirrors my experience last week at Munich.
I had bought 2x500ml jars of home-made honey for the family in Italy before setting off back to Manchester via Munich.
The very nice security guy wouldn't let them through (classed as a liquid, so must be no more than 100ml).
I could either dump them, go back through security and put my rucksack in the hold, or pay for them to be posted.
I chose the latter, and am still waiting to see what happens.
I've still got the gift packaging, mind, just not the goods.
Oh and easyJet were 3 hours late, just to enhance the experience.
They did offer a €4.50 food voucher at Munich (just about paid for a coffee), with a free drink/nibble on board.

 

[Cloud Strife]

They did offer a €4.50 food voucher at Munich (just about paid for a coffee), with a free drink/nibble on board.

Munich is absolutely dire when it comes to food. I've had a three hour transit there in December, and by the time I arrived, most of the restaurants were already closing down or not allowing people to order.

It's the same problem in BER, where nothing is open in the morning, although at least there's one shop open selling sandwiches/wraps/salads.

Still, the liquids rule is really quite frustrating now. Shannon shows that the technology is there, so why hasn't it been rolled out quickly? Shannon Airport said themselves that it cuts security delays in half, so you'd think the airports would want to embrace it in order to get people spending in airside shops/restuarants.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Couldn't come soon enough. I just had some vegan chocolate spread taken off me in Berlin for being a 'liquid'.

I asked the guy to get his supervisor as it was clearly nonsense, and the supervisor very, very apologetically said that they'd had orders from the security manager at the airport to not allow it. He was incredibly decent about it, and he expressed the same wish that the liquids rule would go sooner rather than later.

The rule is liquids, gels and pastes. Chocolate spread is a paste.

 

[Wolfie]

Perhaps in the USA. Not in the UK or Europe, unless you fancy filling it up in the toilets! And there are several countries (Hong Kong for instance on a flight to Australia) where they re-check your hand luggage at the gate. Bizarrely you can fly internally in Australia with as much water as you can carry.

Heathrow for one has bottle filling points after security. I know, l used them when flying to Ghana via Portugal in December!

Oh, and for those who say the 100ml rule is pointless l suggest that you google "liquid bomb plot" "Rashid Rauf" and "al Qaeda".

 

[Bletchleyite]

Heathrow for one has bottle filling points after security. I know, l used them when flying to Ghana via Portugal in December!

Luton does too. They are very common, but sometimes not in entirely obvious places.

 

[londonbridge]

I’m on my first flight for almost 20 years today, out of Heathrow, gone through security and put plastic bags containing my prescription eye drops (5ml), toothpaste (100ml) and a deodorant spray can (over 100ml) in the tray. Guy confiscated the deodorant, bet if I’d left it in my cabin bag it’d probably have got through.

 

[Brooke]

Luton does too. They are very common, but sometimes not in entirely obvious places.

I found the water fountain at City today: it’s between Gate 7 and 8, so down beyond Prêt.

 

[class68fan]

"Perhaps in the USA. Not in the UK or Europe, unless you fancy filling it up in the toilets!"

I don't understand the problem with filling a water bottle in toilets. I've done so countless times. Unlike in some hotter parts of the USA, different grade water supplies are very rare in the UK and I'd be very surprised if the water at the sink is exactly the same as at the water fountain. I wouldn't use the USA as an example given their far higher neuroticism over perceived "hygiene" at public facilities and on public transport!

The airports I have used in the UK recently do have fountains, some are well located others not so well and often in very small numbers. In Europe, in my experience, it is rare to find a fountain even at large airports.

The problem with filling in toilets is that in the past we were taught that water in those locations may be from a tank rather than direct from the mains supply. A drinking water or not drinking water sign should be compulsory.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Sep 2022 ==

I found the water fountain at City today: it’s between Gate 7 and 8, so down beyond Prêt.

Thats interesting, my last tine there was a list of outlets who would give free water.

 

[jon0844]

There's an app that shows places offering free refills and I think McDonald's is even signed up - but I don't know if anyone has ever asked to refill a bottle there (or if the staff are aware, and wouldn't just say no).

I bet you'd find some staff refusing whatever the company policy is, probably because they hadn't been told otherwise.

 

[Butts]

I’m on my first flight for almost 20 years today, out of Heathrow, gone through security and put plastic bags containing my prescription eye drops (5ml), toothpaste (100ml) and a deodorant spray can (over 100ml) in the tray. Guy confiscated the deodorant, bet if I’d left it in my cabin bag it’d probably have got through.

If you are that confident why didn't you ?

 

[londonbridge]

As I said in my first post, I hadn’t flown for nearly 20 years prior to this trip. I remembered/knew you’re meant to have liquids/aerosols/gels in clear plastic bags but I forgot about any size limits, so when I showed the guy the bags (as described in my earlier post), he said the deodorant was too big and confiscated it.

 

[class68fan]

If you are that confident why didn't you ?

If you are that confident why didn't you ?

I wouldn't expect a larger container to get through security. On a few occassions I've mistakenly left tiny bottles such as hotel shower gel in hand baggage it has been picked up.

 

[Brooke]

I wouldn't expect a larger container to get through security. On a few occassions I've mistakenly left tiny bottles such as hotel shower gel in hand baggage it has been picked up.

It’s quite variable by Airport, broadly three groups in my experience:

1) Airports that spot every little thing - examples London City, Stansted
2) Airports with 3D scanners that are OK with more than 100ml - examples upthread
3) Airports that don’t notice / care if you leave something in your bag - I will not mention names here, but there are some i routinely don’t bother to check I have everything out for this reason

The big opportunity is that as 3D scanners come in, the 100ml rule seems to go out.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The big opportunity is that as 3D scanners come in, the 100ml rule seems to go out.

It does, as the scanners can tell what's in the bottle (or more importantly what isn't). Pretty clever kit.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Yeah, I really enjoyed that surprise


The benefits of segregating domestic and international passengers. Qantas still allow check-in and bag-drop for domestics up to 30 minutes before departure time.


Glasgow has one too, on the left side of the ramp leading from security into duty-free. It's quite obvious, thankfully. On the other hand, I've never been able to find the damned things at Heathrow T5 either!

I filled up a bottle at terminal 5 on Friday.
Every heathrow terminal, Luton, both Gatwick terminals and Stansted all have water fountains.
Theres a website that tells you where to find the water fountains in European airports

 

[rf_ioliver]

What I don't understand was this was to prevent "binary explosives", ie: two liquids when combined producing an explosive (or explosion), yet at Heathrow everyone was emptying their bottles into waste bins provided by security in the security lines...given the origina logic of the ban, wouldn the act of emptying bottles of liquids in the security line be therefore very dangerous ?

The whole ban was very strange from the beginning. Bruce Schneier (notable security expert) has some very interesting things to say on airport security here: https://www.schneier.com/

 

[najaB]

.given the origina logic of the ban, wouldn the act of emptying bottles of liquids in the security line be therefore very dangerous ?

Assuming that there was logic, rather than it being a knee-jerk reaction to a non-existent threat, a bomb in an airport is potentially going to be less destructive and kill fewer people than a similarly-sized bomb would be at 36,000 feet.

 

[Wolfie]

What I don't understand was this was to prevent "binary explosives", ie: two liquids when combined producing an explosive (or explosion), yet at Heathrow everyone was emptying their bottles into waste bins provided by security in the security lines...given the origina logic of the ban, wouldn the act of emptying bottles of liquids in the security line be therefore very dangerous ?

The whole ban was very strange from the beginning. Bruce Schneier (notable security expert) has some very interesting things to say on airport security here: https://www.schneier.com/

Not really for two reasons. Firstly if terrorists want to target a plane they won't bother carrying liquids if they know that they will have to throw them away. Secondly if they were to try to do so any active ingredients would be massively diluted by water, coke and other liquids.

 

[island]

It's all security theatre.

 

[gnolife]

The security at Belfast International weren't very effective at finding liquids on Sunday - I went through with a big bottle of coke that I'd forgotten about, and only realised when I went in my bag for a book when I was on the plane

 

[Eyersey468]

For a rule that was only brought in temporarily it's not half stuck around a fair while.

When was the rule brought in and how temporary was it meant to be?

 

[najaB]

When was the rule brought in and how temporary was it meant to be?

2003 if memory serves correct.

 

[Grumpy Git]

2003 if memory serves correct.

2006, I was on holiday in Italy when it happened.

Checking-in for the flight home was total chaos. They wouldn't even let me keep my car keys with me, EVERYTHING had to go in the hold.

 

[Eyersey468]

2003 if memory serves correct.

Thanks

 

[najaB]

Thanks

See @Grumpy Git post for a correction.

I was pretty sure that I had to decant liquids when I travelled to the US in 2003, but must've been mistaken.

 

[Butts]

These 3D Scanners (where you don't have to take out liquids or lap tops et al) are not all they are cracked up to be as I found out at London City last week.

More bags were being rejected and funnelled into the manual check lane than getting through unscathed.

Most problems seem to be related to lap tops that required no further inspection.

Conversely the one I used at MCO (Orlando) during the summer worked fine.

 

[Cloud Strife]

More bags were being rejected and funnelled into the manual check lane than getting through unscathed.

In general, my experience is that these systems which divide bags into 'clear' and 'manual check' are incredibly slow. The ones in Tallinn are absolutely abysmal, causing lengthy queues that previously didn't exist with the old central security area.