The new European rules for carrying hand luggage, which came into force on November 6, largely duplicate the strict regulations introduced last summer that prohibit bringing liquids on board, chief among which for many of our compatriots is alcohol. Airlines operating on routes connecting our cities with EU airports, such as British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, and naturally all domestic carriers, have already warned passengers to take into account the new flight safety requirements.
From now on, all drinks and liquids, down to ordinary mineral water, that a passenger intends to take on a flight must be presented to ground control services and the crew. Toiletries and cosmetics, including various gels and aerosol cans, are also subject to declaration. Quantitative restrictions are also being introduced: containers holding liquids must not exceed 100 ml in volume, and they must all be packed in a small, transparent plastic bag. Passengers will simply not be allowed to bring more than one bag. To avoid undermining the business of numerous duty-free shops at airports, passengers are still allowed to buy alcohol and perfume there, but all items purchased in the duty-free zone must be packed and sealed, and opening them during the flight is strictly prohibited. These restrictions do not apply to baby food and medicines, but in the latter case, passengers will also need to prove that the medication is absolutely necessary during the flight.
The tightening of hand luggage rules at EU airports is certainly not linked to a surge in drunkenness at several thousand meters, although scandals with passengers who overestimate their capacity occur regularly in the air and often end up in police stations after landing. Restrictions on bringing liquids on board have become an echo of the panic that erupted last August in Britain, where, due to the threat of terrorist attacks, even the largest airports, including London's Heathrow, were temporarily closed. The transport crisis, which lasted several days, was triggered by an operation by British special services, which, according to their own claims, prevented several attempts to blow up passenger planes. As then stated by the head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist unit, Peter Clarke, the terrorists intended to carry in their hand luggage a set of liquid chemicals that would not arouse suspicion individually but could become components of an explosive device in the hands of a prepared attacker.
A total ban on bringing even tiny bottles of cold medicine or jars of pills was imposed immediately after the terrorist threat level was raised. It is clear that such strict restrictions could not last long, and everyone awaited the final word from aviation security experts. At a meeting held in Brussels in September, it was decided to somewhat ease the pressure on passengers flying out of Europe. However, as shown by the new rules, where liquids are counted in milliliters, the relaxations are minimal and primarily concern the ability to take toiletries on a trip. At the same time, “dry law” seems likely to soon become the norm for passenger air travel.