One bag rule 'driving business away from Heathrow'

Chairman Martin Broughton told BA shareholders that the "one bag" rule for hand baggage was not credible and was placing an intolerable strain on Heathrow's luggage handling systems.

He said the policy, introduced last August after the liquid bomb scare, had "no security justification".

He said: "We recognise that security is the top issue for passengers, given the current threat from terrorist activity.

"But to be effective, security has to be credible. Current UK security requirements are no longer credible."

He told the company's annual meeting that the one bag rule was not applied elsewhere in Europe or in America. It "makes London an unattractive place, particularly for transit passengers. It needs to be changed as soon as possible", he said.

His comments came ahead of an industry summit tomorrow on the issue called by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly. BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the one bag rule was hitting business travel hard and could have a knock-on effect for London as a whole.

He said: "Traffic is avoiding Heathrow due to the measures and this is influencing people's decision about where to do business."