Passengers boarding flights from UK airports will no longer have to adhere to 100ml hand luggage liquid limits after the UK government ordered all airports to roll out a new generation of high-tech 3D security scanners.
Some smaller airports have already introduced the technology, but at the end of December 2023 it emerged that some larger airports are likely to miss the upcoming deadline.
Here's everything you need to know about the changes to the 100ml liquid rule and what it means for your next holiday.
Why does it even exist?
The in-flight liquid limit was introduced in 2006 after British police foiled an Islamist terror plot to detonate explosives on transatlantic flights. They planned to smuggle liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks in their carry-on luggage, which would have been the deadliest terror attack since September 11. After the foiled plot, the government raised the terror threat from "severe" to "critical" and banned carry-on luggage on all planes as a precaution.
Carry-on baggage allowances were soon relaxed, but the ban on liquids remained - not just in Britain but in countries around the world. To this day, you cannot pass security checks at UK airports with liquids over 100ml, and those that do comply must be sealed in a transparent, resealable bag. But that's all changing.
The end of the 100 ml liquid limit
New CT X-ray technology means airports can scan liquids in hand luggage, giving security staff a detailed 3D view of the contents instead of the existing 2D images. Using this new technology and "highly advanced threat detection algorithms," potentially dangerous liquids will be flagged for further checks. This means passengers can travel with up to two liters of liquids and gels per person in their bags, and no longer need to place laptops and other electronic devices on a separate tray.
A number of airports, including Miami International Airport, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome and Schiphol in Amsterdam, have already started using the technology, and the UK government has given airports until June 2024 to upgrade their screening equipment. Some UK airports have been undergoing trials over the past year, so passengers may have already seen the new scanners in action. But two airports are leading the way.
The story continues
At the beginning of March, City Airport announced it would be the first to scrap the 100ml liquid limit in time for the Easter holidays. However, Teesside International Airport has quietly sent them to post, rolling out two advanced scanners that will allow passengers to board flights to destinations such as Dalaman, Alicante, Amsterdam and Corfu without removing liquid miniatures from their bags. Because Schiphol has also deployed the new scanners, this means that a passenger can now make an entire return flight without a 100 ml liquid limit.
John Strickland, aviation consultant and analyst, said: "This will greatly reduce stress for passengers, reduce security screening times and improve flight punctuality. From the airport's perspective, if passengers have more time and are more relaxed, it offers more opportunities to improve retail and dining revenues."
The technology also ensures that passengers do not have to remove laptops, tablets and cameras from their hand luggage at security checkpoints.
How will the other airports continue to roll out the technology?
Despite all airports agreeing to a June 2024 deadline set by the government, it appears that early 2025 could be a more realistic rollout date for some of the larger airports. Here's what they were all up to, as of December 27, 2023.
Heathrow: "Our teams are focused on delivering the program as quickly as possible. We already have new lanes in T2, T5 and T3.
"Heathrow has more security lanes than any other UK airport and so installing the new lanes across the entire airport was always going to be complex. Other major UK airports face similar challenges, but their transitions will still be less complex."
Gatwick: "London Gatwick will have made significant progress by installing state-of-the-art, next-generation security scanners in both terminals by June 2024. We currently plan to complete the major logistics operation required to install the remaining scanners in the first quarter of 2025, after the busy summer peak period is over."
Manchester (also East Midlands and London Stansted): "We are currently rolling out the new technology lane by lane at Manchester and London Stansted airports, with several new lanes already in use. Major construction projects are also underway at Manchester and East Midlands airports to expand the size of the terminals to accommodate the new equipment. This will see the new scanners installed on a large number of our security lines by June 2024, with full completion of the program expected the following year."
Some airports, such as Newcastle and Liverpool, say they will have the scanners ready before the deadline. Luton, Aberdeen, Southampton, Glasgow and Bristol said they will meet the June 2024 deadline, while Edinburgh said: "We will have a number of these in June for the majority of passengers to use."
So what's the catch?
If passengers travel to a foreign airport that does not have the relevant technology, passengers will not be able to carry their oversized liquids in their hand luggage on the return journey. If they haven't paid for a checked bag, it means they have no choice but to shower themselves in perfume, slather on sunscreen and leave it all behind. That, or divide their liquids into many small 100 ml containers.
As it stands, a fraction of the EU's 347 airports use the new technology, and the decision to increase the amount of liquid allowances on flights is a government matter, meaning the majority of passengers will have to wait a while before they can fully benefit from the benefits of the new technology. rule change.
What does the future hold for airports?
There are other ways in which the airport security experience could improve with the emergence of new technologies. Fingerprint and iris authentication are already being used by security at some airports, and it is predicted that biometrics and facial recognition systems will one day replace the need for a physical passport.
Kevin O'Sullivan, chief engineer at SITA Lab, told The Telegraph: "With the advent of things like biometrics and better risk profiling of travelers coming in. I would like to think about in the next ten years, when you arrive after an international flight, you walk down a long corridor and that is the immigration process. Your biometrics are being checked. If necessary you will be singled out, but otherwise just walk to the exit. It will make a huge difference."
In-flight mobile data will soon become the norm on flights to Europe, after the EU announced in November 2022 that airlines can safely offer 5G technology on planes; the deadline for member states to comply is June 30, 2023. However, the United States is unlikely to allow 5G coverage on flights anytime soon as the frequencies are higher and there are concerns they could cause harmful interference to aircraft.
There are also companies developing advanced robots that could potentially replace sniffer dogs at airports. California-based biotechnology company Koniku is developing a product that can detect a range of odors, such as explosive chemicals and drugs, in seconds. It is believed that such machines may be less fallible than sniffer dogs, which can be prone to false positives when fatigued and require significant training before deployment.
Given how long it has taken the aviation industry to finally update the 100ml liquids rule (17 years), don't expect innovations such as facial recognition technology and robotic sniffer dogs to be unveiled at Luton Airport in the near future.
