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UK Air baggage rules to be relaxed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5343018.stm

It looks like the UK are going relax their carry on rules. I wonder if the TSA will follow these UK actions or try to block them.

Fantastic news! You really cheered me up!

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrlandoFlyer

I wonder if the TSA will follow these UK actions or try to block them.

The right thing to do would be relax them even further than the UK proposes to do.

Unlimited liquids/gels, no Shoe Carnival, no Gate Harassment for starters. :mad:

I was just about to post this as well, but from the sky news link

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...233855,00.html

I hope this is the begining of the change that we have been predicting. This if true represents the first real change in the policies. I can hope TSA will follow suit, though the procedures look very similar to what I heard from the supervisor at ORD a few weeks ago. Out of bags, but allowed.

Also from past experience TSA and DfT in the UK have usually had the same rules with minor variations. The biggest one, historically, I can think of is the UK plastic cutlery and no tools vs the TSA allowing metal cutlery and some tools. Now the current difference is TSA allows more liquids, but none purchased afer security whereas the UK allows liquids after security.

I think this is what will be announced by the DfT next week.

1. Hand-luggage returns to the previously announced reduced sizes. i.e. the sizes that the boxes are at.

2. Liquids will be allowed. No more that 150mL of liquids, and any amount of prescription liquids verified as authentic if over the 150mL limit.

3. All liquids must be removed from the hand-luggage and examined at the checkpoint.

Just my thoughts.

Oh, and this is my 999th post. :) Yeah!! (wish it was a different topic, but oh well)

From the article:

Quote:

The latest move was welcomed by budget airline Ryanair.

"We welcome any move to remove the ineffective measures currently in place and to restore security to the safe levels that apply to all inbound flights arriving in the UK," a spokesman said.

"To do anything less would hand the extremists a victory."

Ryanair announced last month it was seeking compensation of about £3million from the government over airport delays resulting from the increased anti-terror measures.

I have a lot of respect for Ryanair for taking a public stand against this insanity, especially as US airlines voice their "wholehearted support" for the water ban.

Makes me glad/proud that I actually flew a segment on Ryanair this summer (though I doubt they made much money off my $25 SNN-BVA ticket). :)

Quote:

According to BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds the government has been trying to find ways to reduce the impact of the security alert at airports and has carried out a series of tests.

I hope that these "tests" included actually trying to create the supposed binary liquid explosives under realistic in-flight conditions. I also hope they did tests to observe the size of fire/explosion that would be created by detonating a travel-sized-toiletry container of the various compounds. I suspect the difficulties of mixing and the anticlimactic whimper which would come from detonating a travel-sized-toiletry container (OK, maybe you might kill the bad guy or one person, but blowing a plane out of the sky or even blowing a hole in the aircraft seems unlikely) would speak loudly to the stupidity of the toiletry ban. I wonder if (this or any) government will admit to their tests and the results.

If the UK returns to sanity and the USA TSA does not, it will at least provide us one more piece of ammunition that TSA is out of control and paranoid beyond reason.

Handbag size nonsense

I hope they stop checking the hand bag size or allow something a little bigger. I went through LHR today and could barely get my laptop case in and out of the stupid box they have before security. It fit but scratched the leather all to hell. The case is not especially large and fits easily in under the seat.

Looks as if the UK goernment took notice of how much money would be lost if folk decided not to use the UK as a transit point.

As for Ryanair's stance - it was nothing about the customer, only O'Leary's profits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanR

I've been sending that message to my carriers/hotels: continued harassment = no more spend.

Whether they choose to view it from a customer point of view (prefered) or a financial point of view doesn't matter too much to me as long as the airlines get the message and get on the government's case.

I'd rather get the government out of airline security almost entirely. ;)

At the ABTA (Alaska Business Travelers Association) meeting today, we had a TSA officer speak to us. He is supposedly the second from the top in Alaska. He told us that there would be "some" relaxation of the rules in the U. S. sometime next week. He could not go into details. They were trying to get it done this week but....... This ties in completely with what is being announced in the UK.

As usual I'm ahead of the curve, having to go through LHR this weekend, under the old rules. :td:

Let's see what happens next week.

BTW he was very open and honest in his presentation. Professional & friendly to boot. ^ ^