KARFA

Toiletries are supposed to be out of your large bag. This is fairly standard everywhere now. Perhaps you are used to TSA Pre where you can leave them in your bag? I am not surprised your bags were pulled for secondary screening if you didn't follow the rules. Also yes it is 100ml max per item. In terms of liquids it is anything which is a liquid, aerosol, gel, cream or paste. Again this is standard across Europe.

I am afraid if you had gone through FRA or CDG you would have encountered the same issue.

stut

While this is correct, I do find LHR T5 far worse than most (and I'm including other UK airports in this) in their "send it down the other conveyor, make them wait 20 minutes while it sits there then pore over the bag very slowly because security" stakes.

Yes, I know it's all justifiable if you want it to be in terms of security, but everywhere else goes "sir, do you have liquids in your bag" and just gets you to take them out. They even rescan them for you (if they're in-size) and usually explain the rules sympathetically if they're not.

KARFA

It's odd that this is not my experience. On the odd occasion I have had secondary searching I have never had to wait 20 minutes. They can get the scan up of your bag to see what the issue is. Of course the easy way to avoid the problem is to follow the very widely signed rules which have been in force many years.

WorldLux

The rules regarding liquids are pretty straightforward. So are the rules for notebooks and large tablets. They are IMO however somewhat unclear with regard to other electronics. I've had security screener seemingly making up different rules. In 8 out of 10 cases, my DSLR, additional lenses and cables don't cause a fuss when I travel with them. In the other cases I get pulled out for secondary checks or, if they see the camera before the scan, get scolded for not taking them out. After being pulled over in AMS and being scolded for not taking the camera out, I asked one screener at FRA if I had to take it out. Answer: "no". Moments later another screener scolded me for not taking it out. Same goes for cables: Sometimes out. Sometimes not. I'd appreciate a little consistency...

NWIFlyer

In my view, you’re better off creating your own consistency as far as you possibly can. What looks like a multitude of wires wrapped around a solid object on the 2D scan is bound to be suspicious - and these days most of us travel with many charger leads, mains cords and adapters. The answer is to be proactive and put all the leads in a bag, placing that separately in a tray and not in the same one as your main carry-on. Even if you get pulled for secondary, including at LHR, the check should be on a single bag, not your entire luggage.

You can’t plan for every foible - in ATH, for example, they always want me to take the lens off my DSLR so they can look through the glass, and there aren’t many ways round that - but you can certainly make your passage through much easier.

KARFA

UKtravelbear

Earlier this year my bag was pulled at AMS. The agent went straight to the little tumi case I use for my cables and chargers. The issue was I had also thrown all my loose change in there too and that is what caused my bag to be selected. Lesson learned - and I no longer put my change in that case!

I also get ready for security before joining the queue so my phone, wallet, watch etc always go in my bag. I take out my ipad and liquids bag. When I'm near the front of the queue my belt comes off so when I get to the tray I'm ready to put my stuff in the tray(s).Far too often I see supposedly regular flyers leaving it all to the last second before doing anything to get ready and they are the ones in the main who complain about security being slow!

:D!

I just take everything that could confuse the person looking at the x-ray out. I also try to put them in separate trays. That way, I can repack most of my stuff if only one item is sent for manual checking, and when that is done I can chuck it in my bag while walking away.

simons1

It never ceases to amaze me how people walk past racks of plastic bags, then big signs telling them to remove toiletries and ignore the lot.

Then complain when they are pulled for secondary screening and delayed, usually with comments that suggest they are above it all.

I doubt security at UK airports are really interested in what the TSA does or doesn't do. Particularly as their record is pretty pathetic in this area.

The TSA Continues To Miss 95% Of Weapons - HOW IS THIS OKAY?!? - One Mile at a Time

poisson

:D!

I am quite sure that every time I go through UK airport security someone is shouting at me to remove liquids (and laptops and tablets). Even if I'm the only person going through at the time, and they can see that I've already taken out a laptop and some liquids.

KARFA

stifle

Which then turns into people filtering them out because of hearing the same thing over and over.