/ 6 November 2006

New luggage rules cause queues at Europe’s airports

New rules forced air travellers to pack perfume, toothpaste and other liquids into small plastic bags in their hand luggage before going through security checkpoints at Europe's airports on Monday. Queues were longer than usual at terminals in Frankfurt and Paris as passengers got to grips with the new regulations.

New rules forced air travellers to pack perfume, toothpaste and other liquids into small plastic bags in their hand luggage before going through security checkpoints at Europe’s airports on Monday.

Queues were longer than usual at terminals in Frankfurt and Paris as passengers got to grips with the new European Union regulations, though most travellers seemed reassured by the tougher measures.

“It’s a bit cumbersome … but I have a good feeling that things will be much safer now,” said Alketa Vaso (34), on her way to Chicago from Germany.

The rules limit the amount of liquids people may take on board planes and reflect efforts to standardise measures put in place in Europe after London authorities said in August they had foiled a plot to bomb flights bound for the United States.

From Monday, passengers at Europe’s airports can bring on board one resealable transparent plastic bag with a maximum size of one litre to store liquids. The liquids have to fit in individual containers of 100ml or less.

Passengers flying out of Britain, on the other hand, will be able to carry more items on to aircraft from Monday, as Britain has agreed to lift partly its ban on liquids in hand baggage on flights under the new rules.

Most travellers in Frankfurt were well-prepared for the new security regulations, which will apply throughout the 25-nation EU, as well as Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.

“It’s alright when you know beforehand, because then you can adjust to the rules,” said Friedrich Bischoff (50) as he headed to London from Frankfurt.

Paris’s Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports mobilised 500 extra people to cope with the changes and ordered more than a million plastic bags, a spokesperson for Aeroports de Paris said.

“Some early-morning flights experienced take-off delays of less than 30 minutes but as of mid-morning the situation was back to normal,” she added.

Before the main security point at Frankfurt, airport staff examined each passenger’s plastic bag during the early-morning rush to check its contents kept to the specified rules.

Hotel size

Toothpaste, shampoo and shower gels in small hotel-size packages tended to make it through.

But a tube of Gillette shaving gel, a large tub of Clarins face cream and bottles of fizzy drinks were among items headed for the rubbish bin.

“It’s irritating, although I understand it’s important for security,” grumbled Mladen Galic (38) as some of his items were confiscated from the plastic bag he wanted to take to Zagreb.

Another passenger, Elmar Pickhardt, was forced to down two sports drinks on the spot or leave them behind. “I’m all for controls, but this is going a bit far,” he said as he prepared to gulp down the drinks.

But he added: “I would prefer strict controls to another terror attack.” — Reuters

Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris