Travel Toiletries» admin

Another hand luggage liquids detection system proposed

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:23:07 +0000

The current restrictions on liquids in carry on baggage have now been in place just under three years. In that time, travellers have become accustomed to bringing only miniature bottles in their hand luggage, or buying full size items in duty free or at their destination. In recent months, though, there have been some indications that the end might be in sight for these liquid restrictions, even if it might not come as soon as some might like.

In May, trials began in Manchester airport on a new type of X-ray scanner that could potentially detect dangerous liquids in carry on bags. Earlier this month, the European Union met to discuss changes to the current liquid restrictions. Now, an alternative means of detecting dangerous liquids is being proposed.

A group of scientists at a research centre in Germany have recently come up with another method of analysing liquids for potential explosive content, which they believe is quicker and cheaper than other methods currently being examined.

The new method involves passing a spectrum of light through a liquid, and examining how the light is reflected and absorbed. Since different materials react in different ways, the technique could allow explosive components to be quickly and reliably identified, possibly in a fraction of a second.

Don’t throw out your travel size toiletries just yet though. The new approach is only in the early stages, and further refinement is necessary before it is suitable for security screening on a large scale basis. And even if the system can be made commercially viable, the same issues regarding its implementation will still apply.

As new methods of scanning and detection are developed, it is looking increasingly likely that carry on liquid restrictions will be relaxed at some point. But that’s still likely to be years rather than months away.

Will proposed EU rule changes end the need for travel size toiletries?

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:14:27 +0000

Last Friday, the European Union announced plans to relax restrictions on liquids in carry-on luggage. So, does this mean no more need for travel size toiletries? I don’t believe so, for a number of reasons.

Time frame

No definite time frame is given for this rule change. The EU Transport Commissioner “hopes” the restrictions will be scrapped by 2014 at the latest. Put in place in November 2006, the existing limits were due to expire next April, but are now expected to be extended until at least 2012. The problem with adopting a common policy EU-wide is that even if liquid-scanning technology was perfected today, rolling it out to all airports in the EU will be an expensive and time-consuming process. Moreover, with technology trials ongoing, it’s reported to be unlikely that the technology will be ready for general use before 2011, and that perhaps the largest airports could be equipped with new systems by sometime in 2012. Given that, 2014 looks a bit optimistic for an EU-wide application of the system.

Disagreement

Relaxing restrictions on carry on liquids will also require a united approach among EU countries. However, Britain has already cast doubt on whether this can be achieved. One initial proposal, to relax rules on duty free liquids purchased by transit passengers before entering the EU, is expected to be opposed by the United Kingdom. This could lead to a common EU system elsewhere in Europe, while travellers would face additional restrictions in British airports. There’s already enough confusion about what the restrictions actually are – having different rules in different countries would just lead to additional stress for passengers.

Baggage charges

Even if the liquid restrictions were scrapped tomorrow, I still believe a large number of passengers will still continue to pack travel size toiletries. Airlines are suffering in the recession. Charges for checked baggage are on the increase, and hand luggage allowances are becoming increasingly strict. If this continues, more passengers will be travelling with carry on bags only, and we’ll have to learn to pack more carefully. Buying travel size items might seem an unneccessary expense, but if the alternative is paying extra to check in bags, I think more people will realise it can save them money in the long run.

Do you think the EU rule changes are likely to be implemented any time soon? And if so, will that end the need for travel size toiletries, or will they still have a place in your hand luggage?

8 mistakes commonly made when packing carry on liquids

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:18:31 +0000

Even when you’re aware of the restrictions on carry on liquids, it’s easy to slip up and include something which will fall foul of the rules. Even if you travel regularly, some of the points below might refresh your memory, or suggest something you hadn’t considered before. If you have any more suggestions regarding mistakes people make when travelling with carry on liquids, please comment on this article.

Individual items over the allowed limit

Within the European Union, each item must be at most 100ml. In the United States, the limit is 3.4 oz. Most other countries which have implemented carry on liquids restrictions have similar restrictions. Any individual items larger than this are not permitted and will be confiscated at airport security. It’s important to note that this restriction also applies to the size of the container – so a 500ml bottle of water with less than100ml inside it will not be allowed through (in fact, even a completely empty container larger than 100ml will be confiscated).

Total items over the total allowed limit

All the liquid items you bring on board must fit in a 1 litre (approx 20cm x 20cm) transparent plastic bag. US TSA regulations state a 1-quart bag, about 8 inches square. This one litre limit includes the size of the bottles themselves, not just their contents.In practice, this generally means you’ll be able to fit at most500-600ml of actual liquids in your one litre bag.

Not packing liquid items in a suitable transparent resealable bag

The idea behind the bag is that all your liquid items can be easily presented together at security. It should be transparent so securitystaff can see the contents, sealable to prevent everything falling out, and resealable to allow them to remove items for closer examination before closing the bag again. And the bag must have a maximum capacityof 1 litre (or 1 quart), to limit the total liquids you’re allowed carry on board. In practice, I’ve travelled with a bag which wasn’t resealable and not had any problems. I’ve even had security staff sell me a plastic bag (!) when I’d forgotten to bring one at all. But bear in mind that if you turn up without your liquids in a plastic bag, or the bag isn’t transparent (or too large), airport security would be within their rights to confiscate all your carry on liquids.

Not realising just how many items count as a liquid

“Liquid” has a fairly wide-ranging definition when used in terms of carry on restrictions. It includes all aerosols (e.g. deodorant), pastes (toothpaste or shoe polish) and gels. Most makeup and powders will be included, although solid lipstick is not. It also includes roll-on deodorants, creams such as suncream, lotions, ointments and foams. Many foodstuffs also fall under the “liquids” restriction: chocolate cream, fresh (soft) cheese, mayonnaise, any kind of spreads such as butter or jams are all considered liquids and can only be carried on board in quantities smaller than 100ml, in the transparent bag.

Packing carry on liquids in more than one transparent bag

Each passenger is strictly limited to only one transparent plastic bag into which all their liquids must be placed. If you’re travelling withsomeone else and they’re not bringing carry on liquids on board, that doesn’t mean you can pack two such transparent bags – instead, give them one of your bags to pack in their own luggage and present at security. If you do turn up with more than one bag, the contents of one of them may be confiscated.

Not presenting your carry on liquids separately at security

I almost missed a connecting flight before because of this one. When packing, I’d carefully checked that all my carry on liquid items complied with the restrictions and were packed in a suitable bag. However, as I was rushing to make my flight I forgot to remove the liquids bag and present it separately at security. Put my bag through the scanner, walked through the detector, turned to collect my bag – it wasn’t there. The bottles inside had shown up on the scanner and my bag had been pulled aside and left there. I had to wait nearly ten minutes until one of the staff removed the liquids bag and ran both bags through the scanner again. Barely made my flight, but I’ve learned to always present my carry on liquids separately at security. You should also always pack your resealable plastic bag near the top of your hand luggage so you can easily remove it at security.

Packing non-liquid items in your carry on liquids bag

It might seem obvious, but you only have a limited amount of space in that one transparent resealable bag. Certain items have to go into it – travel size toiletries, most makeup items, any gels or pastes count as liquids for this purpose. But just because your travel size toothpaste goes in, that doesn’t mean your travel toothbrush needs to. It only takes up space that you could use to fit a small bottle of aftershave or perfume into instead. If you’re running out space in your transparent bag, go through it and make sure that everything in it needs to be there.

Packing medicines in your carry on liquids bag

This is a bit of a tricky one. Essential medical or dietary liquids are exempt from the carry on liquids rule, in reasonable quantities, if they’re something that you will need on board. They should be presented separately at security, but need not be included in your 1 litre transparent bag. But exactly what qualifies is unclear. You may need to bring supporting evidence (e.g. a prescription) to show the medication is necessary. Baby milk is specifically permitted, in a reasonable quantity, and assuming the passenger is accompanied by a baby or small child. Milk powder is permitted, but water to go with it falls under the 100ml restriction. Contact lens solution in bottles of over 100ml is permitted in Zurich and apparently officially banned in Dublin, although I’ve taken larger bottles of it through there before and beenwaved through when I presented them. If you’re in doubt about something, either check it in, bring it in a small quantity that meetsthe airport liquid restrictions, or phone the airport before travel toconfirm that it is allowed as medicine. But if it’s a liquid that youcan prove is medicinal and necessary, then you can save space by leaving it out of your carry on liquids bag (just remember to present it separately at security).

Hopefully some of these tips might be useful to you when travelling. If you have any more to add, please comment below.

Travel toiletries meet carry on liquids restrictions

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:41:58 +0000

Most people use their common sense when flying and don’t pack sharp or dangerous items in their carry on luggage. But even seasoned travellers get caught out by the relatively recent carry on liquids rule. Thousands of bottles of perfume and toiletries, aerosols, and other such items are confiscated at airports worldwide every month. Since 2006, all liquids, gels and aerosols brought aboard in carry on luggage are subject to the following restrictions:

individual items must contain no more than 100ml/100gr (that’s 3 oz)
total per passenger limited to 1000ml (1 quart)
all such items should be placed in a resealable clear plastic bag and presented separately at airport security, and only one such bag is allowed per passenger.

Which means if you’re going to travel away for a few days, any personal toiletries you bring aboard will need to meet these criteria. For most people, this is going to take a small bit of extra planning. Of course, you could just put them all in your hold baggage. Which is fine, if you’re checking bags in. And even then it’s worth having a backup plan in case your bag goes missing. You don’t want to face the trouble of trying to find a local pharmacy at your destination, possibly facing a language barrier if abroad.

Buy travel toiletries in advance

The toiletries you use regularly at home are unlikely to be in units small enough to meet the regulations, so you’ll need to find alternatives. Many pharmacies offer a range of travel size toiletries suitable for inclusion in your cabin baggage. These are usually available across a range of recognised brands. So you should try your local supermarket or pharmacy to see if they have them in stock.

Give yourself a bit of advance time though, as not all shops will carry many (or indeed any) travel toiletries and you may need to shop around a bit to find exactly what you want. Worst case, if you can’t find anything you’ll have to buy whatever you need in the airport after security screening, but that means you’ll pay more than you need to and take up extra space in your carry on baggage.

So plan ahead and save yourself some money!