Passengers still confused about hand luggage rules

Surveys conducted of the flying public reveal that airline passengers are still uncertain about what items they can carry on board an airplane in their hand luggage.

After the alleged trans-Atlantic terror plot of 2006, heads of security in the UK tightened restrictions on what would be allowed on board, particularly with regard to liquids.

Now, two years later, research conducted by Expedia reveals that approximately 50 per cent of all passengers say that they do not know what they can and cannot pack in their carry-on bags.

Eighty per cent of air travellers surveyed said that security personnel had asked them to hand over possessions that were in violation of the rules, and 10 per cent admitted to having bottles of alcoholic beverages confiscated.

A spokesman for the Newcastle Airport noted that at times the confiscated items can be very valuable, adding to the stress of passengers involved, and also often adding to delays in processing passengers through security.

“The most commonly confiscated items are bottles of pop, water, suntan lotion, perfume, shampoo and toothpaste,” the spokesman said. “But items of a much higher monetary value are also being found in hand luggage, including wine and spirits, and even a bottle of vintage champagne worth £175.”

Officials at Newcastle Airport revealed that airport security personnel confiscate, on average, approximately 400 litres of liquids from passengers’ carry-on bags each day.

www.newcastleairport.com