The old "Hand Luggage" chestnut revisited

[El Grifo]

On a day when there are plenty of problems for the industry and travelling public alike, would someone help me navigate through the quagmire of do's and dont's regarding hand luggage.

The rule regarding carrying of liquid toiletries through Gatwick for instance, which I clearly understood had been suspended on November 6th, is now back in force. True or false.

If true, what caused the rapid change of policy, if false why are they today again removing items from pax.

Some airlines are permitting a laptop and one piece of hand luggage, others are stating only one piece of hand luggage.

How to the security people at X-ray differentiate.

When I last came through LGW a few weeks ago, I was forced to jam my book and magazine and snack (not purchased in airport) into my laptop case to create one piece of hand luggage.

On boarding, the max number of bags containing fags, booze, magazines, water and electronics carried by one person, was counted by me as four.

Said person was welcomed on to flight with courteous smile.

Is it really as callous as I imagine. Is it really just a question of economics.

How can this possibly be allowed to stand.

Why are more people not screaming from the rooftops. :ugh:


ANGRY

[paxcommuter]

The EU rules which came into effect on 6 Nov are pretty clear, and only mention carrying liquids. You're allowed a single transparent resealable bag up to 1ltr, containing all of you liquids and gels in individual containers of not more than 100mls. Certain medicins are excempt. You can also buy duty free airside, and take it through security at a connecting airport, provided it is in a tamperproof sealed clear bag. This is slightly relaxed from the rules enforced in the UK only before then.
Some airports impose a further restriction of only a single item of hand baggage at the security control, I guess to speed passage through the security gates. Some are strict on this, and some take a more reasonable view.
Most airlines also state that pax are allowed only one item of hand luggage, however, how strictly this is implemented, and what counts as the one item varies from airline to airline, particularly as you say, for items bought airside after security. For some, a laptop bag, ladies handbag, or duty free bought airside does not count. Others will offer to check baggage from the door of the aircraft.
I totally agree this is a real pain, especially now some airlines are now charging for checked baggage, it can feel as though advantage is being taken of the situation. Travelling is certainly becoming more and more difficult, however, airport security lines are traditionally a very bad place to start screaming about anything.

[El Grifo]

So the weight and volume of the carry on luggage is not the issue. The profit generated by the sellers and the revenue raised by the airport authorities is the key.

This would seem to be highly unjust.

[El Grifo]

I hear what you are saying Mike Jenvey but this is surely a situation that requires proper explanation.

I always assumed it was a weight vs fuel load argument or even an overhead bin capacity argument.

Are there any kind of restrictions at all on carrying on purchases from the great departure lounge megastore and what makes that carry on luggage any different from other carry on luggage.

Simple scenario. I come through with a laptop and a small bag containing book magazines, Cd's etc and am told I am carrying too much. I explain that I am returning to the Canaries and have no intention of buying anything at duty free because I can buy cheaper at home.

Deaf ears. Dump books and mags.

Aircraft boards with pax humping up to four bags of airside purchases.

Where is the logic or justice in that :ugh:

[El Grifo]

Excellent Sir !

I am on to that right now :ok:

Happy Yuletide or similar !

[MaxReheat]

El Grifo

The chaps and chapesses, forward and aft of the flightdeck door, have been smashing their heads against the idiocy of so-called airport security for several years and all to no avail. I spoke recently to a 'high up' in a well known London airport's security organisation who agreed with all the points I and many others have raised. 'So why on earth don't you pass this on to the cretinous beaurocrats in Whitehall who have the temerity to draw a salary while dreaming these insane regulations up' asks I. 'Have you ever had to deal with the DfT deskjockies' came the reply. Enough said.

Until the great British public stops acting like shafted sheep, reacts and says enough is enough, not only to their politicians but also to the airlines, who are equally culpable in sustaining the system by their very acquiescence in questioning the system, absolutely nothing will change.:ugh: :{

[daedalus]

I know that one person posting on PPRUNE said that he takes a polythene bag with him and if there's trouble with his two or three items he just puts them all into the polythene bin-bag. He then has only one bag. How can the airport "Taliban" argue with that?
At Stansted once we were told "only one bag" before passport check. Old ladies on floor stuffing handbags into suitcases etc. Next came security who told us all to take out any handbags or laptops etc. to put them separately through the X-ray! Left hand knoweth not what right-hand doing methinks.
:ugh:

[late developer]

A christmas conundrum:
My girlfriend brought two cheap full litre bottles of Metaxa 5* to Stansted and boldly attempted to walk them through security at Stansted the other day. That's two bottles each ten times greater than the 100ml limit...
The bottles were shown to security and she was allowed to repack them in her bag and to continue into the airport and to board the plane with them in her hand luggage.
Just shows what a smile and a confident attitude can achieve, eh?
Now then, who knows what the secret ingredient might have been?:cool:

[carousel]

A christmas conundrum:
The bottles were shown to security and she was allowed to repack them in her bag and to continue into the airport and to board the plane with them in her hand luggage.:cool:


Saw them broke the seals put both bottles in the skip, sorry but the truth will out!

[late developer]

Saw them broke the seals put both bottles in the skip, sorry but the truth will out!Nah...nothing so outrageous:-)

I haven't attracted any other replies so I guess everyone knows the answer - perhaps it was no big deal.

I was quite surprised actually, but we knew she'd get through because we found a security guy when we were still landside and asked him if she could take them through. He said yeah it will be fine, which was exactly the opposite to what two pink shirts said (they said "it'll have to go in the hold" despite our special request).

Then as luck would have it, an hour later when we'd had a coffee and my friend actually went through, she found him on duty feeding the bags into the very machine she had queued for...clever eh?;)

So then, after first expressing surprise, he then let her through, Metaxa x2 and all.

Does everyone know how it was done, because until that day I didn't know it could be?