What you need to know about the EU's 100ml rule
The 100ml rules are back in the EU – here's everything you need to know.
On 1st September, the EU reversed its policy on 100ml liquids. Once again all travellers to and from EU airports now have to put their liquids (and aerosols and gels) in 100ml containers themselves, inside a maximum 1-litre transparent bag. This comes after some EU airports relaxed that rule over the summer.
Technical problems
Some EU airports, for example Rome and Amsterdam, installed new CT X-ray scanners that should've allowed them to scan liquids inside a bag. That meant travellers didn't have to take their liquids out of their luggage at security, or transport them in special tiny bottles.
On 1st September, the EU declared that the new scanners didn't always succeed in picking up liquids in bags, so they were going back to the 100ml rule. So all air travellers to the EU are back to transporting liquids (and aerosols and gels) in little bottles inside a see-through bag, and taking it out at security.
Our experience
We travelled through Istanbul airport in February and March, which had installed the new scanners. There, we discovered that travellers could go through the new scanners without taking liquids out for scrutiny. But since they didn't trust the new scanners to work there either, our bags were checked manually at the departure gate anyway. This made the whole process take twice as long as usual.
So the failure of the EU version hasn't been a complete surprise – we've seen this go wrong before.
The UK version
The UK has also been planning to let people carry their liquids through security by installing new scanners at airports. The last government even required airports to do so – but few of them actually did. In June this year the government reversed the rule, saying all liquids must be checked again, even at the seven airports which had installed the scanners.
Since the scanners are expensive, and had considerably reduced queueing times, the airports that had complied were a bit annoyed.
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Find out moreSo what are the rules now?
Exactly the same as before.
After all the changes, proposed changes and new laws and rules, air travellers from the UK or flying to the EU must transport their liquids in 100ml bottles inside a transparent bag which they present at security for inspection.
What's next?
Governments and airports are trying to simplify the security process, letting travellers pass through scanners that check them automatically. Several UK and EU airports have installed that technology, just to have the rules changed to stop them using it.
That's not a sustainable position for either governments or airport owners, so once everyone's confident the scanners work as planned, the hope is that travellers will be able to walk straight through security.
But for now - it's 100ml bottles, in a see-through bag, coming out for inspection. Again.
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