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Plane liquids ban may end
Nicholas Cecil11 Mar 2009
The ban on taking liquids through airport security may start to be lifted next year.
Ministers believe X-ray technology will soon be able to detect liquid explosive ingredients terrorists are seeking to smuggle onto aircraft.
Scientists are understood to be working to speed up the technology so it can be used without causing long delays.
The Department for Transport is planning to introduce trials of the technology at airports next year. It may be used first for executive travellers.
The liquids ban was introduced in August 2006 following the alleged terror plot to bring down up to 10 planes travelling from Britain to the US.
Reader views (7)
Nothing to do with terrorism. These daft rules are there for one reason alone: total control of the sheeple. I mean, teking off your shoes twice, just before you board a plane? What's that all about?
- Neil M., london uk,, 12/03/2009 14:34
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Thank goodness, I resent having to pay extortionate prices on the air side of airports or on planes for non-alcoholic drinks when I used to bring my own with me.
Equally it is a complete pain and causes endless delays to have to decant shampoo, shower gel etc into smaller bottles if you are boarding with just carry on luggage (either than or pay through the nose for specifically smaller little bottles of the stuff) and then have to put it all in a clear plastic bag (which some airports make you pay for).
Was this really saving us from terrorists or was it simply profit generation?
- Mcw, London, 12/03/2009 13:12
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Well that's a step in the right direction, but will the security staff at Gatwick still want to confiscate my son's see-through Thomas The Tank Engine umbrella . . . ?!
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 12/03/2009 13:06
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Finally the officials are seeing common sense or is there an ulterior commercial reason perhaps which I think is more likely the case.
- Peter Noterfed, paris, France, 12/03/2009 12:22
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It was always a useless rule to get passengers to waste more in the airport shopping streets. Nobody ever blew a plane up or could with liquids at the end of the day! And also a lot of cosmetic products are blacklisted if bought outside not in the airport shopping centre...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 11/03/2009 18:27
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Nobby, you are completely wrong. You cannot buy 50 bottles of hair bleach and distill it down to one bottle of concentrated peroxide, and then process that into a still more dangerous liquid explosive, in an hour or two within the duty-free area. And although a few litres of alcoholic spirits on fire within an aircraft cabin would be very frightening, it has doubtless been calculated that it would not destroy the plane.
However, there is a very simple safety test that could have made life to date much less unpleasant. Simply allow passengers one large screw-top bottle of non-alcoholic carry-on beverage each, provided they unscrew it and drink a mouthful or two in front of the security guard, without gagging or blowing their heads off.
- Nigel, London, 11/03/2009 17:09
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There is nothing a terrorist would want to take through a scanner that can't be bought in the shopping malls that are available before a flight. You can buy litres of alcohol in duty free and all the chemicals you need to make an incendiary device at Boots.
The liquids ban is just an excuse to make us all think we are safer.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 11/03/2009 15:02
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