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Luggage liquid limitations to end - but only in Europe, and not till 2013
The European Union has committed to lifting the current restrictions on liquids carried by air passengers no later than April 2013. It was back in 2006 when
The rules have been a major hassle for everyone (except the makers of travel size toiletries). Thankfully, Europeans only have to deal with the rules for three more years, which is when airports should have the necessary equipment to detect liquid explosives. Once the rules are lifted, all liquids will once again be allowed in carry-on luggage.
Hopefully the next development will be a reliable shoe bomb scanner, because once we can keep our shoes on, and our toiletries in our bags, travel will be one step closer to how it was before the terrorists screwed things up for us.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Scott Carmichael Apr 29th 2010 1:27PM
You are absolutely correct - I've updated it, thanks!
Malaycobra Apr 29th 2010 7:36PM
I flew out of Mexico City last week.
Shoes stay on.
Liquids can come through security in to the gate areas.
...but are then confiscated (along with any drinks you bought by the gate for the flight) at a secondary screening of 100% of the passengers carried out on the jet way.
Continental's Ticket Agent announced NO liquids could be carried onto the plane.
Surreal.
nzm Apr 30th 2010 7:47AM
We got stung with that secondary search at Jakarta. Came through x-ray, bought bottles of water for the flight to Australia, and got them taken off us at the second x-ray point in the walkway leading to our departure gate lounge. The water sellers in the airport must be laughing at that one - chances are, the unopened bottles are returned to them for resale!
nzm Apr 30th 2010 7:43AM
Shoes stay on in most countries now. I think that it's only in the US - and UK? - that all shoes must come off. In Germany, it depends on the footwear - boots and shoes with metal come off; sneakers, sandals, soft shoes stay on.
Malaycobra Apr 30th 2010 7:49AM
My personal opinion is that these countries cannot secure the terminals, and thus cannot guarantee that prohibited items won't be smuggled into the planes.
A final check at the jet way is much easier than controlling civilian staff and merchandise.
Phillip Apr 30th 2010 11:35PM
I think that the US shouldn't ban liquids but instead to start to profile passengers instead like what Israel has done for 40+ years. I think that other nations like the US and the EU should follow Israel's model for security because it works the best.
MaMo May 1st 2010 9:23AM
No truer words were spoken. America needs to wake up!
Joan May 1st 2010 2:29AM
There are illegals in EVERY country in the world Rich, and you cannot or should not blame the illegals, blame the people who are willing to hire them to save a buck!! So unless you are willing to pay more for your babies to be watched, your hotel rooms to be cleaned and your fruit to be picked, SUCK IT UP and quit complaining, this country could never operate without illegal aliens....
Passengers ARE profiled Philip and the problem is that America has never had to deal with a world war on it's doorstep, and the security in many countries in the EU is MUCH better than it is in the US regarding airport security. The difference is that the EU and the US operate with integrity towards other countries and Israel NEVER has....that is most likely WHY they have to have tighter security measures and probably always will.....
Robbie May 1st 2010 3:36AM
In other words, all the people and descendants of people who invaded this country, murdered many of its inhabitants and stole their land, and forced the survivors onto "reservations," where they became second-class students in their own country.
And for all of you who feel that all immigrants should be required to learn and speak the national language: how fluent are you in Navajo?
Mike May 1st 2010 5:50AM
When are we gonna smarten up, every time I go online or turn on educational channels, we are telling the world our weaknesses....Government please...gag orders if you must! We need Bushy back! And yes I realize that it was in style for the hippies, yuppies, and minorities to hate Bush and call him stupid because he slipped an error here and there in his speaches. I`d even always hear the severely uneducated say "his second term was fixed, nobody voted for him". Yes they did. I did twice! And to the people who thought he was lying about stuff in his second term, ever think of this...You can only have two terms, No matter if he made people happy or not, he couldnt run again so he had cart blanche to do whatever he wanted second term. Nothing was done second term "just to make him look good" since he COULDNT run again period.
ruthsgardens May 1st 2010 6:07AM
I see many comments getting slung at Israel.With Israel being a small country, it cannot afford mistakes.Many would like to say that Israel stereotypes and profiles passengers.Actually what Israel does that is different in the US is that their security forces are interactive with passengers and visitors.All passengers are engaged,greeted and asked questions multiple times before getting near checkpoints.Your words,actions and reactions are analyzed by these highly trained people.When these people come to work everyday,they know their lives,their families lives and freinds lives are in danger.Thus they earn their living.Unlike american security forces which are debating what kind of doughnut they will have for breakfast.And I am not talking about our soldiers either.The Israeli Masad is the greatest intelligence gathering group on the face of the earth.Their interactions with other countries let them know about things before they happen.When you are a country that small,you have to know ahead of time.Since 1918, our government has grown itself in size 1,385%.Now think about that for a minute.The government cannot do anything unless it creates a committee to study and then act on it.It doesn't matter that there is already a committee in place already doing that.And it doesn't matter that these committees are not ended after being created.There is a massive amount of US taxpayers money going to pay for this expanding government.It is either the Liberty Act or the Reconciliations Act that instructs our Treasury to pay for the government first,no matter what happens.So now we have a government you can drive a convoy of semis through it and they wouldn't even notice.So much for security huh? Until a president comes along who will shrink the government back to the size it was created to be to oversee the states(and I don't mean cutting medicaid or medicare etc either),this country will waste trillions on an over inflated government and little will go to its security.Both parties in congress have allowed this to happen.And no party or president is willing to address the free trade agreements that have allowed corporate america to ship our resources overseas avoiding excise,import,export taxes along with no safety or epa standards by utilizing cheap labor abroad.Labor that cannot be competed against by americans.Nor protected.Very shortly we will see the invasion of bombs in circuit boards or cheap lighters.Every president is greeted with a list of 143 countries threatening to boycott america if we choose to buy american.It is time for american plants to reopen and make our own lighters.Our own parts for our auto industries.And make our own thinga-ma-jigs and doo-dads once again.To reign in the free trade agreements and put a 2% tariff on Chinas cheap crap steel they are flooding world markets with illegally never buying one pound from us.We have to reign in our own security and return america back to the superpower it once was.
MaMo May 1st 2010 9:03AM
Kudos to you ruthsgardens! You know of what you speak and I agree with you. America needs to get back to business and stop the nonsense of politics. The FBI has Profilers so why shouldn't we use them at our airports? What the Israels do is what all governments need to do. Profile your passengers, interact with them, question them. The real problem comes down to this....Israel's security is based on self preservation while here in the U.S we really don't take the job of security seriously enough. The people put in charge of these departments are usually Political Appointees based on who is owed a favor v.s who is qualified. A perfect example was 9/11 and Katrina. I can't recall the name of the man who was in charge of security for one of the companies in the Twin Towers. This fellow had predicted another assult on the Towers and he was insistant on having emergency drills etc; for his company's employees. Officials in NY City credit him for the number of lives that were saved that day. Sadly, he died trying to get others out of the building. Our government is so wrapped up in their political parties that they loose site of why they were ever elected to office in the first place. WE should follow Israel's lead as you have mentioned. Israel security use to require passengers to be on the tarmac and would require passengers to identify their bags before any bag was loaded on board the aircraft. It was very time consuming but necessary and they never had a flight hijacked or bombed if I remember correctly.
I agree with you re our trade agreements. NAFTA is the biggest mistake ever for America and needs to be disolved. What good is a trade agreement when it doesn't serve all parties/countries concerned i.e America? Out sourcing will be the death of America and until our Government cries UNCLE and throws in the towel we will continue in this downward spiral. We have nothing to gain and are loosing everything. I try looking for products made in America and there isn't anything. China owns us so they will take over the U.S without ever firing a shot. All they have to do is to keep importing the junk they make that is tainted and harmful to us, our children, our pets, our food supply. Sadly, the American people just keep buying into the politics of the day and arguing over petty party lines. Wake up America, wake up. It's not about being a Democrat or a Republican......it's about being an AMERICAN period!
Joan May 2nd 2010 6:59PM
MAMO: Joan, there may be illegals in EVERY country in the world but they are not treated better than the citizens of those countries, and they are not marching in the streets DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS. You try going for public aid for medicaid/food stamps and you see if the red carpet is rolled out for you. Yet, illegals get medical care/food stamps/education/housing and not 1, repeat, not 1 document is required of them to obtain these services. This was told to be by an employee of Public Aid saying, "the Federal Government forbids them from asking for any documents when the person applying for these services is an illegal alien. >>
Joan: So you KNOW that every person marching is illegal? You KNOW that for a FACT? DO YOU??????? If the American government is STUPID enough to give it to them, WHY ONLY blame the illegals? You make some REALLY stupid statements and only blame ONE side!!
MAMO:A year before my husband died I tried applying for public aid and was denied services. Yet, he was born here, served his country during WWII, worked all his life, paid taxes and filed his tax returns every year and never asked for help from the Federal/State or Local Government. Oh, I also worked 30yrs yet the documents they required would have papered your entire house. You enroll your child in the school system here and you are required to produce all kinds of certificates including birth/medical/dental records and a social security number which by law is now issued to each child born in this country. Yet again, illegals have their children enrolled in our schools and what? They don't have to produce the same documents that American citizens do? Oh, and we employ ESL Teachers to teach their children English also. So you have to ask yourself who is to blame for the mess? It's Politics, plain and simple. >>
Joan: IF it is required that you need paperwork to get into school YOU TELL ME how stupid the states and counties are to allow that to happen? Because IF those children were BORN here they are NOT illegal, regardless of whether their parents were when they were born. And there is NO way it is JUST the fault of the politicians, it is the fault of the employers who employ the illegals, the STUPIDITY of the county and state laws that allow them to claim benefits and get their children educated, if that was NOT allowed to happen, there would be NO problem with illegals.
MAMO: You can argue about having no one to pick the fruit/clean houses/watch the babies etc; but you are really doing our country and the illegals a dis-service. Yes, this only allows them to make a pittance of what their labor is really worth and they are taken advantage of by all who employ them, be it by businesses or in the private sector. So, if you think Americans should just SUCK IT UP you are part of the problem, not the solution>>.Joan: IF there were NO employers to employ them then there would NOT be an issue here. AND IF they are being paid only a pittance, that is AGAIN the fault of the employer. And I am not part of the problem, I am a REALIST, pity some people cannot take the TRUTH.
MAMO: You try going into Mexico or any other country and take up residency or get employment and you get caught. What do you imagine would happen to you? You would not be treated so kindly that's for sure and would probably end up in prison. Yes, the blame for this problem lies within the Federal Government and employers who know they can hire illegals and not pay for their crimes. It is a crime to employ illegals, yet companies and the private sector continue to do it because our Federal Government treats it as a joke. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....then it is a duck!>>
Joan; You call the $5,000 per illegal penalty a JOKE? Europe is riddled with illegals,as is the US, but as my father worked in immigration and so I am QUITE familiar with the issue. AND plenty of illegals end up in prison here, you have NO idea what you are talking about.....
MAMO: Re Air Travel........What passengers do you know that are profiled? The grandmother in the wheelchair or the likes of the late Senator Edward Kennedy? Oh, I forgot, he was on the no fly list. You can be sure the woman in the Birka (sp) isn't being profiled. In fact, I believe it was just a week ago that a women wearing such garb objected when a TSA Agent asked her to remove it while going through airport security. She felt that her rights were being violated. It makes you laugh, it makes me laugh. >>Joan: EVERY flight that comes to and from the US has its passengers PROFILED. You are OBVIOUSLY not a frequent traveler, and have NO idea how judiciously every flight passenger list is scrutinized and how every person who is not a US citizen is finger printed ( AL TEN FINGERS) AND their iris checked upon entry.
MAMO: Regarding Israel, they know what they are doing. Israel's security is such a science that we could learn a lot from them. Re Israel not operating with integrity, I think not. It is called self-preservation. Where were you in the 70's and 80's when every airliner was being hijacked? Where were you when the Olympic Village was attacked in Germany in the 7o's? Who were the attackers? Who were the victims? I suggest you go back to the history books and do some research. Apparently you missed the part about the Holocaust. You know, the systematic killing of millions of European Jews by the Nazis. Israel's motto is Never Again and I can't blame them. I'm speaking as an American, as a Catholic, as 2nd generation on my father's side and 1st generation on my mother's side. My mother survived WWII as a child in England and my father served during WWII. Oh, my grandparents and my mother entered through the front door of America after they filled out their paper work and waited their turn to come in.>>Joan I have no respect for Israel's manner of operation, and I am WELL versed in the holocaust, but they are NOT the only race that suffered greatly, but acting like they were treated during the holocaust towards others makes them no fans, they are well supported by the US and that makes the US NO friends in the world. as though they were animals ( oh I forgot the BRITISH DID THAT TOO TO EVERYONE SO YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT) you have to pay the price. I agree with Israels right to exist, but NOT at the expense of EVERY other country around it, THEY CHOSE to settle there with NO regard to ANYONE else. When YOU choose to act as if the land that others have lived upon for centuries is YOURS by right, and you TAKE that land, and treat the people who lived there like animals, people generally DO NOT like it. And frankly I do not care where you are from, perhaps you should read some history books yourself and educate yourself in the FACTS and not some emotional garbage you spew....
From Canada May 4th 2010 1:27AM
Replying to JOAN in reference to what she said about frequent flyers who are NOT U.S. citizens that fly into and out of the U.S. I'm Canadian, and I have never been fingerprinted, 1 or 10 fingers, nor have my irises been scanned in over 20 years of flying. Same goes for my husband, parents, family, and every friend and associate I know. I'm not sure where you get your info from, but that's one area where you are completely wrong.
MaMo May 1st 2010 7:09AM
Joan, there may be illegals in EVERY country in the world but they are not treated better than the citizens of those countries, and they are not marching in the streets DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS. You try going for public aid for medicaid/food stamps and you see if the red carpet is rolled out for you. Yet, illegals get medical care/food stamps/education/housing and not 1, repeat, not 1 document is required of them to obtain these services. This was told to be by an employee of Public Aid saying, "the Federal Government forbids them from asking for any documents when the person applying for these services is an illegal alien.
A year before my husband died I tried applying for public aid and was denied services. Yet, he was born here, served his country during WWII, worked all his life, paid taxes and filed his tax returns every year and never asked for help from the Federal/State or Local Government. Oh, I also worked 30yrs yet the documents they required would have papered your entire house. You enroll your child in the school system here and you are required to produce all kinds of certificates including birth/medical/dental records and a social security number which by law is now issued to each child born in this country. Yet again, illegals have their children enrolled in our schools and what? They don't have to produce the same documents that American citizens do? Oh, and we employ ESL Teachers to teach their children English also. So you have to ask yourself who is to blame for the mess? It's Politics, plain and simple.
You can argue about having no one to pick the fruit/clean houses/watch the babies etc; but you are really doing our country and the illegals a dis-service. Yes, this only allows them to make a pittance of what their labor is really worth and they are taken advantage of by all who employ them, be it by businesses or in the private sector. So, if you think Americans should just SUCK IT UP you are part of the problem, not the solution.
You try going into Mexico or any other country and take up residency or get employment and you get caught. What do you imagine would happen to you? You would not be treated so kindly that's for sure and would probably end up in prison. Yes, the blame for this problem lies within the Federal Government and employers who know they can hire illegals and not pay for their crimes. It is a crime to employ illegals, yet companies and the private sector continue to do it because our Federal Government treats it as a joke. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....then it is a duck!
Re Air Travel........What passengers do you know that are profiled? The grandmother in the wheelchair or the likes of the late Senator Edward Kennedy? Oh, I forgot, he was on the no fly list. You can be sure the woman in the Birka (sp) isn't being profiled. In fact, I believe it was just a week ago that a women wearing such garb objected when a TSA Agent asked her to remove it while going through airport security. She felt that her rights were being violated. It makes you laugh, it makes me laugh. Regarding Israel, they know what they are doing. Israel's security is such a science that we could learn a lot from them. Re Israel not operating with integrity, I think not. It is called self-preservation. Where were you in the 70's and 80's when every airliner was being hijacked? Where were you when the Olympic Village was attacked in Germany in the 7o's? Who were the attackers? Who were the victims? I suggest you go back to the history books and do some research. Apparently you missed the part about the Holocaust. You know, the systematic killing of millions of European Jews by the Nazis. Israel's motto is Never Again and I can't blame them. I'm speaking as an American, as a Catholic, as 2nd generation on my father's side and 1st generation on my mother's side. My mother survived WWII as a child in England and my father served during WWII. Oh, my grandparents and my mother entered through the front door of America after they filled out their paper work and waited their turn to come in.
Joan May 4th 2010 9:29PM
FROMCANADA:Replying to JOAN in reference to what she said about frequent flyers who are NOT U.S. citizens that fly into and out of the U.S. I'm Canadian, and I have never been fingerprinted, 1 or 10 fingers, nor have my irises been scanned in over 20 years of flying. Same goes for my husband, parents, family, and every friend and associate I know. I'm not sure where you get your info from, but that's one area where you are completely wrong.
Joan I hate to have to break it to you but YOU are WRONG, I do not care where you are from or how frequently you visit the US, I KNOW for a fact that you are fingerprinted, all ten fingers and your IRIS's are scanned when you are not a citizen flying to the US. This goes for people who are even permanent residents, FACT!!!! This has not been going on for 20 years, in fact it has only begun over the last two years. Even green card holders have to go through that, did you ask all of your associates to verify lol cause they are ALL wrong too!! If you are driving over the border from Canada, I KNOW that does not happen, but remember we ARE talking AIR TRAVEL here :-)