It’s the start of UK airports’ busiest period and passengers are being warned to think about what’s in their bags well ahead of time to ensure they have a smooth getaway
One of Britain’s busiest airports has issued an urgent warning to passengers travelling with carry-on luggage after confiscating dozens of items in a few hours.
Staff at Manchester Airport, the UK’s third most popular, have taken a handgun-shaped whiskey decanter, two multipacks of yoghurt, and a leg massager were among passengers’ belongings confiscated in one single morning earlier in July.
In total the Manchester Evening News witnessed officers at the airport’s new terminal 2 take nearly 100 items from bags, such as 24 packs of cosmetic products, seven drinks bottles, and seven food items – including two multipacks of yoghurts. It has prompted airport bosses to warn delays can mount up at security if holidaymakers don’t follow Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules.
Sakib Mahmood, security duty manager, Terminal 2 Manchester Airport, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming millions of passengers to Manchester Airport this summer. We’re proud of the role we play in getting people’s journeys off to the right start, and more than 97per cent of our passengers are getting through security checks in under 15 minutes.
“But each time we have to pull a bag aside for a manual search it can take several minutes, and that can quickly start to add up and create delays – not just for the passenger with a non-compliant item in their hand luggage, but also for those waiting behind them in the queue. The range of items confiscated here in just a few hours shows what our security officers are up against every day – but when it comes to working out what is restricted and what is not, we know some items are more obvious than others.
“If you take a moment to reacquaint yourself with the rules before packing your hand luggage, it can save you lots of time when you get to Security – and avoids you losing items like water guns or bottles of suncream that you want to take on your holiday with you. In many cases, items like these which may fall foul of hand luggage restrictions can be taken in your hold luggage – so if in any doubt, pack the item in your suitcase rather than your carry-on bag.”
Most passengers failed to comply with liquid restrictions, requiring anything that can be sprayed, spread or poured at room temperature to be packed in containers with a capacity of under 100ml. As it stands, a 100ml limit for hand luggage is still in place on liquids at most UK airports, while hubs including Manchester wait for the CAA’s approval to remove these restrictions, following the installation of new 3D scanning technology.
Passengers are therefore being encouraged to be alert to items which might contain more than 100ml of liquid. Everyday items from children’s squishy toys to souvenir snow globes could inadvertently break the rule. Liquid medications over 100ml are exempt – provided you have a prescription label clearly displayed – as is breast milk in containers of up to 2L.
Also removed from bags were 12 pairs of scissors, seven corkscrews, four knives, and six packs of tools – plus two loose chisels and a pair of pliers. In each case, these items broke CAA rules prohibiting sharp objects or blades with a length of more than 6cm (2.3in) in your hand luggage.
Another major security concern are gun-shaped items. Anything that is designed to look like a firearm, or could be disguised as one, cannot be carried in hand luggage. This includes items like toys – which could be painted or adapted to more closely resemble a real weapon.
This resulted in 10 toy guns or items resembling firearms were confiscated – including a BB gun with two packs of ball bearings, three NERF guns, and household items such as a handgun-shaped whisky decanter set. Other items which were confiscated were a baseball bat and a leg massager, in both cases because of their potential to be used as a weapon.
Large electrical items no longer have to be removed from your bag, thanks to the new 3D scanning technology now installed in both of Manchester Airport’s terminals. However, items such as belts and watches should be removed and pockets emptied before stepping through the body scanners, to avoid triggering them. These items should be placed inside your hand luggage before you place it into your tray at security. Doing this while you wait in the queue – rather than when you get to the front – can save valuable time.
Items that contain lithium batteries – such as power banks, vapes and tablet computers – may pose a fire risk if faulty so must be packed in your hand luggage, rather than your hold luggage, to allow easy access in the event of an emergency. You cannot fly with more than two power banks per person, and these must not be recharged in flight.