Passengers lose their bottle

Newcastle Airport’s security teams confiscate 800 bottles of prohibited liquids from passengers every day

Newcastle International is urging passengers traveling through the airport this summer to take heed of current security regulations prohibiting the carrying of liquid items hand luggage in a bid to reduce the number of confiscated items and to ease the pressure on airport security teams. 

Airport security staff are confiscating around 400 litres of prohibited liquids, worth an estimated £1,000, EVERY DAY - enough to fill a large resort hotel swimming pool each year.  As the airport enters its busy summer period, security teams estimate it is now taking up to 10 man-hours a day to recycle and dispose of confiscated liquids found in passengers’ hand luggage in the security search area.  

Twenty-one months after tightened security restrictions came into effect at all UK airports following the terror alert on August 10, 2006, thousands of passengers using Newcastle International Airport remain unaware of the current regulations regarding hand baggage.  The regulations prohibit the carrying of liquids in quantities greater than 100ml through security search areas at all UK airports.  

The most commonly confiscated items at Newcastle Airport are bottles of pop, water, suntan lotion, perfume, shampoo and toothpaste.  But items with a much higher monetary value are also being found in hand luggage, including vintage champagne and spirits.

The sheer number of passengers continuing to fall foul of the regulations is causing a headache for the airport’s security teams.  Peter Snell, Newcastle International’s landside operations manager said: “This was a big enough issue for us during our quietest winter months, but now that the summer holiday season is in full swing, it’s becoming a bigger and bigger administrative problem for us to manage.

“We clearly don’t want passengers to have to part with valuable or personal items, and it also provides us with a waste management problem that we could well do without. So we really need travelers to help us by making sure they don’t bring prohibited liquid items with them in their hand luggage.

“The simplest thing to do is to put any gels, creams, perfumes and lotions in your suitcase and check it into the hold.  If you need any liquid items with you on the flight, then make sure they’re in containers of 100ml or smaller.

“It’s crucial that passengers pay attention to the current restrictions so that we can ensure we avoid unnecessary queues in security search and can get passengers away on their holidays happy and hassle-free.”
 
The current Department for Transport regulations in relation to hand luggage are as follows: 

·         Passengers may carry small quantities of liquids they have brought from home in their hand luggage, but only in separate containers each no more than 100ml.

·         These containers must be brought to the airport contained in a single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag, which itself must not exceed 1 litre in capacity, roughly 20cm by 20cm.

·         The contents of the plastic bag must fit comfortably in the hand luggage with the bag sealed.

·         Liquids that cannot be placed inside the re-sealable bag must be packed into suitcases and checked in.

·         Essential medicines and baby food sufficient for the journey are permitted.  Passengers are strongly advised to check the Department for Transport guidelines before travelling to the airport.  Visit www.dft.gov.uk for further details.