For those who hate the repeated announcements of “3-1-1” or items under a litre in a bag under 100ml each, presented separately, there’s good news out of London City Airport, which has dropped the 100ml liquid requirement in hand luggage.
Passengers will no longer have to restrict toiletries and liquids to 100ml bottles and can leave laptops, tablets and mobile phones in their bags as they pass through streamlined security screening.
Bottles with a capacity of 2 litres are also now permitted at London City Airport.
The introduction follows successful trials last year, with equipment provided by Leidos.
There’s also an improvement in passenger flow, as this will allow London City Airport to process up to 30% more passengers per hour – perfect for the upcoming Easter breaks, as well as the regular rush hours at the airport.
In Quotes
Alison FitzGerald, Chief Operating Officer, London City Airport. said:
“We have always prided ourselves on embracing innovation and being early adopters of new technology.”
“The new CT scanners will take our passenger experience to another level, reducing the stress and hassle of 100mL liquids in clear, plastic bags and having to unload your hand luggage. The new process delivers a much more efficient security operation with enhanced security screening.”
“We are really confident that this investment will make the experience of travelling through London City even better for the business and leisure passengers using the airport, to quickly and easily get to our many domestic and international destinations.”
Aviation Minister Baroness Vere, said:
“We’re making sure that all major airports across the UK introduce a new generation of sophisticated security technology, and it’s great to see this being harnessed at London City Airport already.
“This will reduce queueing times, improve the passenger experience, and most importantly detect potential threats. Passengers travelling from other airports should continue to always check the necessary guidance on security procedures at those airports before travelling.”
Commenting on behalf of Leidos, Brad Buswell, Senior Vice President and Operations Manager at Leidos, said:
“The combination of our CT scanners and automated tray return system significantly improves the experience at security checkpoints for both passengers and security operators.”
“With London City also leveraging other technological enhancements from Leidos, the airport gains further security enhancements to their operation today, and in the future.”
The ride isn’t over yet for liquids in a bag under 100ml.
London City and Teeside Airport are the first in the UK to fully deploy the CT Security Scanners, which will be brilliant for passenger experience and the smooth traversing of security facilities.
Other airports in the United Kingdom are in the process of testing and implementing the changes too, with a deadline of June 2024 for the new technology to be rolled out.
The rollout has also occurred in airports around the world as they deploy the same CT-scanning technology (and it is a major change, as I found out in Helsinki and Geneva).
As such, whilst London City will allow liquids of up to 2 litres in hand baggage – other airports may not.
When you travel, ensure you check the security requirements with their airline or airport before travelling, as 100mL liquid containers and 1-litre transparent bags may still be required – both outbound and inbound.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates, as well as Mastodon too! You can follow me on Instagram too!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.