It has been 16 years since a terror incident involving liquid explosives cemented a new travel restriction, which saw us all having to use those little clear plastic bags to separately stash our toiletries.
Along with this came the 100ml restriction, which meant any individual container containing liquid like deodorant or perfume must be checked before travelling. If found to be more than 100ml it will have to be binned at security.
After 17 years, these rules have become fairly ingrained as a part of our travel routines, with most leading brands of toiletries producing miniature versions of popular products to accommodate the restriction.
For vapers, the rules of course meant that travelling with large volumes of e-liquid was rarely an option. Of course there are plenty of countries that don’t allow vaping even for tourists, which you can learn about here, but if you were hoping to bring enough of your favourite vape liquid to last a long stay in America for example, then you would be bound by the 100ml restriction.
New Scanners Are Changing the Way We Travel
A series of trials at larger travel hubs including New York’s JFK and London Heathrow saw new scanning technology being used to help reduce the steps needed to get travellers though quickly and safely.
Despite these major airports being the staging ground for the trials, it is humble Shannon Airport in Ireland that actually saw the technology fully implemented. The Irish hub has since reported runaway success, using the new CT scanning technology to get people through satisfactory security checks at record pace.
The machine cost Shannon $2.6 million, but the team there have been quick to master it. Those flying out of Ireland were able to enjoy the ease of keeping their liquids and electronics in their luggage to be scanned as one – no more separating into silly little bags that never quite fit what you wanted to bring, even if they are under the 100ml limit.
No More 100ml Liquid Limit for UK Travellers
Since the roaring success at Shannon, and farther afield, 2023 will be remembered as an auspicious year for UK holiday makers, as we can now celebrate the beginning of the end for the 100ml liquid limit!
If targets are hit, then by 2024 we should no longer be bound by the 100ml limit – making Britain the first country in the world to do away with it. The change will be rolled out gradually over the next 12 months, Northeast England’s Teesside International Airport has become the first to apply the new relaxed rules.
If flying out of Teesside, passengers can no carry individual containers of liquid up to 2 litres in volume – a massive jump from 100ml, which should make travelling with vaping products a lot easier, not to mention bringing back goodies from duty-free etc…
London City Airport will be the next UK travel hub to get the overhaul and join what is being dubbed ‘the restriction free club’ in the media. Once rollout is complete at London City, it will become the first London airport to reinstate pre-2006 luggage regulations.
Medical Technology for Travel
The reason all this is happening is because of CT scanners – tech previously reserved for hospital/medical applications. These machines are able to analyse the contents of you entire bag in one hit – even establishing the molecular structure of anything inside, be it a vape battery or an e-liquid. They are highly accurate and safe to use.
By presenting security staff with a three-dimensional image of the contents, they help lines move faster, having the potential to ease congestion at peak times and speed up what has become an infamously drawn-out screening process.
CT scanners can also detect whether your devices like phones or indeed vape batteries pose any danger without them ever needing to come out of your bag – so say goodbye to all that faffing and the embarrassment of accidentally forgetting you had another vape device buried in your luggage you forgot to dig out and pop in the clear plastic bag.
London Heathrow (LHR), the busiest airport serving the country and the main entry point for Americans visiting England, is set to lift the ban on liquids as early as this year, though, like other U.K. hubs, Heathrow has until June 2024 to install the equipment.
According to Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, ‘the tiny toiletry has become a staple of airport security checkpoints, but that’s all set to change.‘ He then added they are ‘streamlining’ cabin bag rules while enhancing security.
A representative for Gatwick has already confirmed the airport is trialling the new technology and should meet the summer 2024 deadline.
It has not been revealed which other hubs will see the ban lifted next, however if the bigger sites are targeted first then it could be expected at: Manchester, Stansted, Luton, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow, Bristol, and Belfast International before the year is out, with others reportedly on-track to hit the August 2024 deadline for implementation.
The new rules are UK Only – For Now
If you are a travelling vaper then you will already be more than familiar of the confusion and chaos of trying to comply with the wildly differing restrictions in place in different holiday destinations and airports (get a refresher here!).
Well sadly the same applies to the liquid ban being lifted – just because we are relaxing things in the UK, doesn’t mean your destination has the same approach.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States continues to enforce the 100ml liquid rule. So far, the U.S. Government has given no indication as to when they might loosen it as we have.
Over in Europe, rules vary as well, with Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport allowing laptops and electronic devices to be screened inside bags but not having lifted liquid rules just yet. A majority of other European airports continue to follow the old regulations.
While we are ahead of the curve on this issue in the UK, the fact there is now a hard date for the entire nation to lift the ban is a watershed moment. There is a good chance that successful implementation of the new relaxed rules will form the basis for the argument internationally, and will likely inspire similar change.
Until then, check both your point of departure, and your destinations rules and regs before you pack half a litre of your favourite high-vg vape juice and a device that looks like it could just as well help the plane take-off as it can produce tasty clouds.
Our Sources:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/advice/airport-security-rules-liquids-laptops
https://www.traveloffpath.com/flight-liquid-limit-could-be-finally-scrapped-after-16-years/
