Travellers beware: Sunday brings a big change to airports in Europe, amid warnings of major delays.
The European Union will introduced updated guidelines to liquid limits in hand luggage from September 1, in a major switch that will affect millions of travellers every year.
In recent years, those travelling through some of the bigger airports – those equipped with Explosive Detection Systems for Cabin Baggage (EDSCB) – have been allowed to carry liquids, gels and creams in containers exceeding 100 millilitres if permitted by airlines.
But Sunday’s change comes after a report from the European Civil Aviation Conference found the scanners’ software was not guaranteed to be reliable for containers holding more than 330 millilitres.
The European Union has announced liquid limits will be unified from Sunday, along with cabin baggage limits. It follows a similar move that caused major delays at some British airports when it was introduced in June.
It also mirrors the rules for travellers arriving in the US. It imposes a 100-millilitre limit on liquids, and the US Transportation Security Administration has said scanners able to reliably detect liquids in bigger volumes would not be fully adopted until at least 2040, largely due to the volume of passengers.
“TSA is still deploying computed tomography units that are capable of screening larger sizes of liquids. However, the agency will not be able to change … for some time to come, because there are about 2000 screening lanes in about 430 airports,” a TSA spokesperson has said.
“We are anticipating that it may not be until 2040 that we have CT units fully deployed across the nation and have the capability of changing the requirement across the system.”
Source: EUdebates.TV
Back in the EU, there are warnings the switchback to a slower screening process could delay 500,000 travellers every hour.
Under the change, travellers arriving in Europe will return to being covered by legislation from 2006 that prohibited containers of liquids, gels or creams of more than 100 millilitres being carried in cabin bags.
That means everything from sunscreen to hairspray will have to be packaged individually in containers that meet the reinstated requirements. They will then have to be put into a clear, resealable pouch of about 20 centimetres square that can be scanned separately from cabin bags.
“This precautionary measure is not in response to any new threat but addresses a temporary technical issue, undertaken in alignment with the EU’s international partners,” the European Commission said in a statement.
“The commission is collaborating closely with member states and the European Civil Aviation Conference to develop swift technical solutions, ensuring the highest standards of safety and security in air travel.”
There may still be exceptions for special diets, baby products, and medicines.
Restrictions on liquids exist because traditional security equipment, like X-ray machines, cannot effectively detect liquid explosives.
Another rule change from Sunday cracks down on carry-on bags. They will be standardised, with each passenger allowed to bring one cabin bag and a small personal item on board their plane.
The cabin bag cannot weigh more than 10 kilograms, while small personal items include handbags, backpacks and laptop cases that can easily slide under the seat in front.
But not everyone is happy. Airports Council International Europe said security was a “non-negotiable”, but it complained that airports that had already invested in new EDSCB scanners were being penalised “operationally and financially”.
The updated carry-on liquid restriction is expected to bring delays to European airports in coming weeks as travellers get used to the change. It is also expected to be only temporary, although the EU has not given any timeline.
In a further blow for travellers, airport delays may be compounded after November 10, when EU border stations will switch from stamping passports to a biometric-based entry-exit system (EES) for non-EU residents.
Travellers will have to scan their passports or other travel document at self-service kiosks, and facial scans and fingerprint data will be taken every three years.
“It will be goodbye to passport stamping, hello to digital checks for all passengers from outside the EU,” EU commissioner Ylva Johansson said, promising it would make “travel easier and border checks gradually faster”.
EES will be used when entering all EU member states apart from Cyprus and Ireland, as well as four non-EU countries in the Schengen Area: Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.