No wonder Eurostar's business is up bigtime.

Has anyone had the experience of flying from an airport in the UK apart from LHR to the USA non-stop, or has anyone tried flying UK airport-other European hub-USA?

Should I fly LCY-XXX-LAX to avoid this crap?

That won't help. The carry on rules apply for all departures, not just transits.

The only way to avoid, when leaving UK, is to travel overland to Europe and fly from there. Or avoid transitting UK.


BTW these rules have been in place some months now (since last August).

^ ^

I've been shopping for a coat with wheels and a handle because mine is sorta heavy - and I'd prefer to roll it. :)

I'll post details if I find one.

Silly rules made sillier in their implementation
 

FWIW...I've actually seen security folks at LHR telling people that their jacket counted as one item, but that if they put it on, then it was clothes and not a carry-on item. So be prepared to wear it. However, my experience was last fall shortly after they implemented the new rules, so maybe they've gotten laxer.

So that I understand, it is all departures from or transits thru all UK airports?

TIA!

For commercially scheduled flights for most everyone (not availing of special benefits or gaming the place), yes, it's all departures from or transits through UK airports. :(

I'd be happy if BA even put a baggage check desk in the transit area, so you don't have to immigrate and go through the LHR nutroll when all you really need to do is check a bag onto your flight (one that has cleared security at your original airport). This carry on restriction nonsense has to stop sometime...

This is not a criticism of any poster. Considering the frequency of this question on this forum, I can't imagine what the casual traveler must go through with htis idiotic rule and others! Wait, I have seen all those people sitting on the floor at he FCC prior to the WTMD lines!

Will the sanity ever return to air travel?

Yes! And the crying and the frustration and the arguing and the pleading and the begging with the stone-faced security goons.

And for WHAT?

Downright insane.

Having recently been in transit through LHR and seeing the activities at the security area, what appears to be less known is the status of duty free. I watched as tons of it was confiscated.

Now at many US airports you receive the duty free prior to boarding the plane, so regardless of TSA's or their agent's policy du jour about the number of carry ons it is not counted, nor did the US departure ticket agent advise me of this restriction, and then you get to the transit area at LHR and it is confiscated. Great business!

In some ways these people are acting as couriers for contraband. And they are actually paying for the opportunity to do so. I leave it to the reader to figure out one one can do with this scenario.

Non-liquid/non-gel duty free that can be stuffed inside the "1 carry-on item" is permitted for airside transit.

Non-liquid/non-gel duty free that cannot be stuffed inside the "1 carry-on item" is not permitted or has to be checked in if doing airside transit.

Liquid/gel duty free purchased from outside the EU -- or liquid/gel duty free that was purchased from within the EU but which is not in an EU-airport sealed duty free bag -- is not permitted if doing airside transit UNLESS the purchases are in 100ml containers (or smaller) in a single transparent 1 liter (or smaller) ziploc-type plastic bag (and the bag doesn't get flagged down by the "1 carry-on item" "police").

You are expounding the obvious and what I believe to be correct. The problem is that the non-frequent traveler is apparently not advised of this, and probably in his/her haste and general disorientation after a lengthy flight in making their connection, typically surrenders the item. Although I did see one creative flyer start to chugalug a pint of alcohol.

What I stated is only obvious to those who have actually travelled through LHR recently; but, as you too implied, it is not obvious to those who haven't travelled through LHR at all/much as of the past several months.

Well i'm not sure about the specific security rules at Heathrow but the IATA guidelines state that a coat, umbrella, purse, folding wheelchair, stroller, etc. are NOT counted as seperate carry-on pieces (as stated by the back of my paper ticket for my flight to the States from China)

I think the operative word in your quote is "guideline". If stated policy at least by the TSA, which does not control LHR, is often not respected in the States, as evidenced by numerous posts in FT, then certainly a guidline is just that. By deduction therefore, one could conclude that just the opposite applies in this bizarro world.