It’s hard to forget the commotion I triggered at airport security because of a first aid kit in my hand luggage for a flight to the French city of Grenoble. This was some time before airport security became really tight, but the use of scanners was well established. I was off to the French Alps, and had tried to keep my few essential items with me in the aircraft cabin. Practical and useful, I thought. Well, it was, but the choice of contents wasn’t so clever.
Curious about what happened? I’ll pick up the story later, but recalling it got me thinking about how to keep things simple and easy at airports.
Airport Security Tip Number 1 – Pack Sensibly
Don’t overpack hand luggage and avoid overloading it with heavy items. That was another of my offences – I had several pieces of mountaineering hardware in my bag to reduce weight in my checked-in rucksack, and I was wearing big boots. Airport Security didn’t seem to like that either.
Today, you can find social media posts of people boasting about wearing multiple layers of clothing on budget airlines, to beat hand luggage weight allowances. The idea is also to leave room in cases for holiday mementos on the way home. It’s not a great trick.
First, it’s uncomfortable and hot at pretty much every stage of the journey. And if you’re going to a warm destination, you really will need to remove some layers when you arrive. Then you’ll need a bag to put them in. Secondly, some airlines are getting smart to this new trick (which is not new at all) and may not let you board until you dress more appropriately.
Lastly – and this is the most relevant for most travellers – cabin luggage allowances are rarely so small as to need clever tricks to evade them. Even at the seemingly strict limit of 7kg (Emirates) you can carry quite a lot, including basic toiletries and some spare clothes, without exceeding the limit.
Airport Security Tip Number 2 – go easy in the electronics
Unless you are planning to work or you’re writing a book, leave your laptop behind. That will save weight and space, and is one less thing to worry about. Plus you won’t need to carry the charger and plug. And unless you’re a professional photographer, or a passionate amateur, leave your camera at home too. Most of what you need tech-wise will already be on your phone. That includes music, eBooks, audio books and a camera. Simply make sure you have the charger, plus the right mains adapter for your destination.
The additional benefit? At airport security you’ll have fewer things to extract from your bag as you go through, and fewer things to re-pack too.
Airport Security Tip Number 3 – Get your carry-on Liquid Allowances correct.
For departing UK airports, despite a brief and confusing period in the early summer of 2024, liquids, aerosols and gels (LAG) must not exceed 100ml for any individual container. Everything else (sunscreen and shower gel, for example) should go in your main case or be bought locally on arrival.
The sorry saga behind this is explained well by Simon Calder in an article in The Independent on 14th June 2024. The short version is that the 100ml limit was always supposed to be temporary. However, relaxing it requires the installation of new and more sophisticated scanners than can identify types of LAG. Implementation is costly and has been slow and patchy. To keep things simple, the government has told all airports (even those with the new scanners in operation) to revert to the 100ml limit. Expect this to be the case for the foreseeable future.
And for European airports? Work on the same basis. From 1st September 20204 “temporary” restrictions on liquids in hand luggage have been reintroduced at European Union airports. All liquids, gels, pastes and aerosols will need to be in a container of no more than 100ml and placed in a clear plastic bag before passing through airport security in the EU.
Another thought – the departure lounge is not the destination
Once you’re through airport security, departure lounges (especially those in large airports) are designed to keep you entertained. That’s mainly by helping you spend your money before you even step on the plane. And there’s nothing wrong with doing that if it’s part of the holiday experience. However, the practical effect is to give you more things to carry. So why not limit yourself to one or two small items? Ideally they will be (a) actually useful and (b) easy to carry…
Travelling light is its own reward
With a lightly packed cabin bag containing only a few essentials you’ll feel lighter (literally) and can be more relaxed as you go through airport security. You can explore the departure lounge in comfort and enjoy a coffee or light meal. Moving on to your departure gate becomes a simple stroll – or if you have to move quickly, you can do that too without being weighed down by your own personal excess baggage!
What Happened to the First Aid Kit?
So, I thought I was being clever. Little did I know that a fine pair of scissors were packed so as to be partially obscured by other items when my bag went through the scanner. They weren’t properly visible. Except that one of the round finger grips could be seen. And into that protruded the shadow of a safety pin. To the eyes of a cautious official it looked something like the trigger guard of a handgun…
Whether they really thought it was or not, the security team were definitely interested. Behind me, the easy flow of passengers ground to a halt. Those waiting began to shift their weight from foot to foot. Someone tut-tutted. Security gave me some odd looks and muttered. They called a supervisor. Then, of course, I was taken aside. They asked polite questions about what I was carrying and where I was going and why, and would I please empty absolutely everything out of my bag and then empty every receptacle that the bag contained too. The friend I was travelling with slunk away into the crowd. The supervisor said something about time-wasters. An officer smirked. Another told me, almost nicely, in future, not to be an idiot.
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Essiell Ltd and Money4Travel.
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