Passengers with carry-on luggage given warning from major UK airport | UK | News

One of Britain’s busiest airports has issued an urgent warning to passengers traveling with hand luggage after dozens of items were seized within hours.

Staff at Manchester Airport, Britain’s third most popular airport, seized a gun-shaped whiskey decanter, two multipacks of yoghurts and a leg massager among seized passengers’ belongings one morning in early July.

In total Manchester Evening News I witnessed Officers at the airport’s new terminal 2 remove approximately 100 items from the bags, including 24 packs of cosmetics, seven beverage bottles and seven food items, including two multi-packs of yoghurt. It encouraged airport bosses to warn that security delays could increase if holidaymakers fail to comply with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules.

Sakib Mahmood, Manchester Airport Security Officer Manager at Terminal 2, said: “We look forward to welcoming millions of passengers to Manchester Airport this summer. We’re proud of the role we play in getting people’s journeys off to the right start, with more than 97 per cent of our passengers passing through security checks in under 15 minutes.

“But each time we have to pull a bag aside for a manual search it can take a few minutes, and this can quickly start to add up and create delays – not just for passengers with an inappropriate item in their carry-on luggage, but also for those waiting in the queue. The sheer variety of items seized here in just a few hours shows what our security officers face every day – but when it comes to sorting out what is restricted and what isn’t, we know some items are more obvious than others.

“If you take some time and re-learn the rules before packing your carry-on luggage, it can save you a lot of time when you reach security and prevent you from losing items you want to take with you on holiday, such as water guns or sunscreen bottles.

“In many cases, such items may be taken into your carry-on baggage, which may violate carry-on restrictions, so if in any doubt, put the item in your bag rather than in your carry-on baggage.”

Most passengers did not comply with liquid restrictions, which require anything that can be sprayed, spread or poured at room temperature to be packaged in containers under 100ml. Currently, a 100ml hand luggage limit for liquids is still in place at most UK airports, while hubs including Manchester are awaiting approval from the CAA to lift these restrictions following the installation of new 3D scanning technology.

Therefore, passengers are encouraged to be careful with items that may contain more than 100 ml of liquid. Everyday items, from children’s soft toys to souvenir snow globes, can accidentally break this rule. Liquid medicines over 100 ml (provided the prescription label is clearly displayed) and breast milk in containers up to 2 liters are exempt.

Also recovered from the bags were 12 pairs of scissors, seven corkscrews, four knives, six packs of tools, as well as two chisels and a pair of pliers. In both cases, these items violated CAA rules, which prohibit the carrying of sharp objects or knives longer than 6 cm (2.3 inches) in your carry-on luggage.

Another important security issue is weapon-shaped items. Anything designed to look like a firearm or that can be disguised as a firearm cannot be carried in carry-on luggage. This includes items such as toys that can be painted or adapted to look more like a real weapon.

As a result, 10 toy guns or items resembling firearms were seized; these included a two-pack bearing BB gun, three NERF guns, and household items such as a gun-shaped whiskey decanter set. Other items seized included a baseball bat and a leg massager in both cases due to their potential to be used as weapons.

Large electrical items no longer need to be removed from your bag, thanks to new 3D scanning technology now installed in both terminals at Manchester Airport. However, before switching to body scanners, items such as belts and watches need to be removed and pockets emptied to prevent them from being triggered.

You must place these items in your hand luggage before placing them on your tray at security. Doing this while waiting in line rather than going to the front can save you valuable time.

Items containing lithium batteries, such as power banks, e-cigarettes and tablet computers, can pose a fire risk if they are faulty; therefore, it should be packed in your carry-on luggage and not in your carry-on luggage to allow easy access in case of emergency. You cannot fly with more than two power banks per person and they must not be charged during the flight.