FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - If it completely and utterly defies common sense, post here.
Old Feb 7, 2010 | 8:46 am
  #55  
ypqRD
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AC Elite,Hilton Gold, Fairmont Premier
Posts: 411
Originally Posted by Sopwith
How much toothpaste does it take to bring down an aircraft?

Would someone please calmly and rationally explain to me why it is okay to take 99 ml of toothpaste onto an airplane, but taking 65 ml in a 130 ml container isn't?
I know this one. The screeners are not trained to estimate the volume of liquid/gel in a container accurately. Therefore the restriction has been placed on the container. This frees the screener from needing to know if you have more or less than 100 ml in your 200 ml container.

It is occasionally necessary to make a rule that is possible to enforce rather than a rule that is all about safety. And remember, the 100 ml is genuinly about safety - with 100 ml of each of your ingredients a person has made an explosion on a plane, but it was a small one, the plane landed and only 1 or 2 people died. Hence the limit. Now I actually think it's dumb as heck, but I understand where it comes from.
ypqRD is offline