I know there are many interested in security and carry-on restrictions flying from the UK to the US. My husband and I flew yesterday morning (9/21) from Gatwick.

We both carried backpacks and had no problem getting them on board. At the airline check-in counter, there is a box cut to the maximum carry-on specifications - as long as your bag fits inside you are fine (for us this meant turning our backpacks on their sides).

We were not allowed to carry on any cosmetics - including chapstick. They did however allow a packet of baby wipes and two small sample size packets of lotion. At the main security checkpoint, your bag was simply scanned through the machine and not checked thoroughly. This was not the case at the gate checkpoint.

At the gate checkpoint, we were divided into two lines (men and women). Each of our bags was very carefully searched through. I had a small set of clippers in which I was instructed to break off the file on the set or they would take the clippers. All of the women were hand searched by a women security officer - this was not done to any of the men in line with my husband however. There were several people who carried newspapers on board in addition to their carry-on with no problem.

For those of you planning to tour the sites in London, we ran into short lines (if any) at the major attractions which allowed us to see more than we anticipated each day including seeing "Wicked" one evening (wonderful performance).

Happy Travels,

Carri

I'll be flying into Gatwick in a few weeks so I appreciate the update. Seems like I'll be checking the stuff I normally would have in a carry-on (like cosmetics and sundries, travel guides, and umbrellas) and toting the jeans and unmentionables. Somebody end this insanity, please. Just curious, though, if your security experience was universal or airline specific? The pat-down of the females but not the males was "interesting."

Carri,

Thanks for the update! Guess I won't be visiting the UK until the "no Chapstick" rule lifts! Can't fly for 14 hours without it.

Reidsmom,
Thanks for the information. I will be flying out of Gatwick to Rome (on Easy jet) tomorrow, and your information was very helpful (I will be sure to leave all the cosmetics in my checked luggage).

good update Carrie, we from Gatwick w days ago with the same experience.

I will add that flying into Gatwick from the states we were allowed chapstick, saline and lipstick. Leaving Gatwick we had to check those items.

Seems that each airline and airport has a bit of independance as we found conflicting rules between the states, gatwick, delta, easy jet and venice airport!

Flew from Athens to Newark on Sep.14 and we (2 women)were pattted down. We checked our bags (for the 1st time ever) so we didn't have to worry about liquids.

British Airways has updated their website to reflect the following .. the new rules go into place today, Friday, Sept. 22 (reidsmon flew on 9/21). Note that SOLID COSMETICS ARE NOW ALLOWED.

REVISED HAND BAGGAGE RULES FOR UK DEPARTING FLIGHTS

British Airways is implementing revised measures, introduced by the UK government's Department for Transport, with effect from Friday September 22, 2006.

The new measures allow all air travellers departing from a UK airport to carry onboard ONE larger industry standard-sized bag, no bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm.

In addition, customers who need to carry with them musical instruments may now carry them through security search provided they can be x-rayed.

Restrictions still apply on items allowed through security carried in a cabin bag.

The following items must NOT be carried in the cabin bag:

Liquid cosmetics

All toiletries

All liquids

All drinks

Cigarette lighters must not be carried through security. They may be purchased airside and carried onto an aircraft on the person, except for flights to the USA. They must not be carried in a cabin bag.

Items previously prohibited in cabin baggage, such as sharp objects, should not be carried onboard.

Cabin bags MAY contain the following:

Electronic equipment, including laptops, mobile phones, MP3 players, portable music and DVD players, digital and film cameras, video cameras.

Essential medicines in liquid form, in quantities of less than 50ml.

Baby milk and liquid baby food (the contents of each bottle MUST be tasted by the accompanying guardian.

Solid cosmetics.

Other items normally carried in cabin baggage, such as books, medicines in non-liquid form, keys, and travel documents may be carried in the cabin bag, as long as they fit into a bag no bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm.

Pushchairs and walking aids, including wheelchairs are permitted but must be security screened.

To help progress through the airport all customers are asked to adhere to the restrictions. Failure to do so will significantly delay the security screening process and inconvenience other travellers.

Customers whose bags exceed the permitted dimensions will be asked to check them in and prohibited items will be confiscated by the airport security team,

Electronic equipment such as laptops will be required to be removed from hand baggage and screened separately. We recommend these items be packed carefully for easy removal at the security search point.

Customers may purchase any item in store in the departure lounge before departing their final UK airport and take onto the aircraft as normal, unless they are travelling to the USA.

Extra restrictions are in place for customers travelling to the USA from the UK. Customers WILL NOT be permitted to take any liquid or gel items purchased in the departure lounge into the aircraft cabin. All food and beverage items must be consumed before boarding.

Customers transferring through the UK
Customers transferring through the UK will be subject to the same hand baggage restrictions as those starting their journey from a UK airport.

If you arrive into the UK to connect with a British Airways flight (irrespective of original carrier) with more than one industry standard sized bag (56cm x 45cm x 25cm) or with prohibited items, you may be asked to check additional items into the hold, significantly delaying your onward journey.

Customers transferring through a UK airport onto another flight must not buy any prohibited items such as cosmetics and toiletries until they have cleared security for their final departure from a UK airport.

I wonder if the ladies only pat down is because ladies are the ones tying to "smuggle" lipstick and other cosmetics through.

It sounds to me like there is wide variance of rules from different airports etc. I've wondered: Since London was the main focus of the trouble originally (London to USA ) if one could more easily fly through the hubs of Frankfurt, Amsterdam or even Paris) This meaning if one is continuing on to another part of Europe, for instance Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc~~~rather than using London as a hub (or quick stopover on the way). What do you think!?

That is good news that solid cosmetics will now be allowed - it was a long flight yesterday without chapstick. As far as security being airline specific - we flew on Delta yesterday.

Am I the ONLY person who would have been upset that ONLY women were subject to the pat down????

I have no objection to the pat down, but I don't think MEN are any more trustworthy then women. (Come to think of it wasn't everyone arrested in the UK over this latest "non-event" a MALE???)

For crying out loud, CarolA. Do get a grip and stop being hysterical

I've been in airport queues where only men were seriously searched. Or only people with Irish surnames. Or only men with long hair and scruffy clothes. Sometimes because of deliberate targetting: sometimes because there were only male searchers available.

For the past 35 years, the civilised world has been under constant terrorist threats. Sensible citizens of sensible countries accept that there's no perfect way to manage these threats.

Sniping at the authorities because on a given day a certain group get searched is the kind of self-indulgence that comes from people who don't understand there's a war on.

In which the good guys get things wrong sometimes.

And if that worries you, get het up about Guantanamo. Not about trivial errors of judgement by peope trying to save your life.

There's a very simple way of making life easy for travellers.

Let them all onto planes without checking. Just like America's lackadaisical security system did on September 11.

Ther really are worse things than travelling without a chapstick.

>>>>>
who don't understand there's a war on.
>>>>>

WWII... now that was a war. you youngsters don't understand war. your casual use of the term is insulting to those of us forced to endure nightly bbc programmes on real war. you should be ashamed.

"Just like America's lackadaisical security system did on September 11."

Or like the Brits lackadaisical security system when the bombs went off in the tubes & on the bus with ALL the CCTV cameras everywhere like Big Brother.

I flew into Chicago from Heathrow 10 days ago. Going through the main screening was no big deal. One woman tried to bring 2 bottles of juice through. When told she couldn't, she asked if her daughter could drink them in line. The screener told her no and that she'd have to get out of line until she decided what she wanted to do.

Another woman (of Middle Eastern descent, judging by her clothes) had 2 juice boxes for her kid. When told she couldn't bring them through, she started howling like someone killed her family. Someone who spoke her language came over, made her pour them in the empty baby bottle she had and made her drink from them.

My backpack got searched (probably due to my jewelry and souvenirs), but it was no sweat.

After going through the main screening, you pass through the duty free shopping area. I thought, "Great, I can buy a cheap lipstick to keep my parched smackers hydrated." No such luck, the cashier asked for my boarding pass and told me "sorry." Thank goodness I put a dab of vaseline behind both ears. But the last 2 hours were hell. By the time I got to Chicago, I was like a heroin junkie, fiending for my next fix. I ripped open my suitcase and slathered half the lipstick on.

Had to go through a second screening to actually get on the plane. Both men and women were patted down (flew American). One woman, however tried to bring on some cosmetics and when told they'd have to go, she started yelling. She said she checked American's web site the night before and it said those items were ok. When the security guy explained that American AIrlines didn't dictate what the Britsh authorities allowed on flights to the US, she hit the roof. I quietly picked up my stuff and got on the plane.

Flying throughout G.B. was a different story. After passing through security, you could buy food/drink and take it on the plane with you.

People, when they say no, they mean no. It's the way of life from now on.

I'll post separately about my 15 day trip in London and Edinburgh later. I have to find my notes. Had a great time, though.

"For crying out loud, CarolA. Do get a grip and stop being hysterical

I've been in airport queues where only men were seriously searched. Or only people with Irish surnames. Or only men with long hair and scruffy clothes. Sometimes because of deliberate targetting: sometimes because there were only male searchers available."


I wasn't hysterical, but you are a being witchy so we are even.

I don't think that only searching MEN is any better. And the fact that the "searches" are limited to the sex of the avaialbe secuirty forces just does nothing to reassure me on the "quality" of the search.

I have nothing against the search, it just seems to me that if it's going to be effective it almost has to be 100% or it's not effective. Otherwise it's more of the "we are doing something, to be doing something type"

After 9/11 for example they got into "habits" at the airport and most of the frequent flyers knew EXACTLY how to avoid being stopped for the random search. If we could figure it out....It's kind of like only screening folks who look scruffy... wouldn't take much to figure out that the thing to do would be to dress nice.

I also don't get the having a hissy fit if they say no. Now if they are clearly wrong based on the GOVERMENT regs (not some gossip on the interent or the airline sites) I have asked for a supervisor. But hitting the roof only gets you on thier "lets make her life miserable list. And some of them live to do that. My personal fav was the TSA agent who took the corkscrew out of the front of my luggage (where I had packed it so they could find it easily) and said "I NOW have the reason I need to strip search you" I had not said ONE thing to anyone in the screening area until then. I didn't scream I just asked for supervisor and refused to leave until I saw one. (The jerk kept yelling at me that "by the time he gets here you will miss your plane" I smiled sweetly and said "that's OK" Jerk was forced to apologize)

After 9/11 for example they got into "habits" at the airport and most of the frequent flyers knew EXACTLY how to avoid being stopped for the random search. If we could figure it out......

Is anybody good with conversions or analogies?

56cm x 45cm x 25cm

Inches?

Link to a picture of what this size bag looks like?

Just found part of my answer on the web:

22in x 18in x 10in

I, too, just returned from Gatwick to Atlanta on the 22nd. I have to confess, I didn't realize I had actually packed the jar of Cotswold honey and 2 jars of blackcurrant jam and marmalade in my carry-on..that thing was packed so tightly I was afraid to open it, but I had believed I had put those in our backpack which we checked.

It went through the scanner and no one ever caught it. I also had lipstick in my purse and toothpaste in the side of the carryon and neither were found. I did not do this intentionally but I only say this to say they're not cracking down as much...and I wasn't asked to fit my bag in the example bin...he just looked at it and said "sure"....it measures 20x10x8...so I would guess it's getting easier and less strained.

Tara

reidsmom,

Did you get tickets for Wicked at the half-price booth in Leicester Square, or at the box office?