Scout

I'm pretty sure that's what I said....in my roundabout way, lol

neill

Yep, it's 2 going to UK, 1 going out (or transferring). There lies the problem... your airline allows you 2 pieces on board, you travel to the UK, transfer to another flight and get into big bother....

It is the single most ridiculous piece of s**t airline "security" rule ever invented.

llani

Does anyone know if the rule applies for every passenger?... I am doing a return trip from Oz to the UK next month with a child and an infant - the child (age 3) will have her own backpack....I am hoping that I'll be able to say that one of my 2 pieces of luggage is the infant's (who is too little to carry it, doesn't have his own seat but whose ticket did cost $997). Anyone know what the chances of this being successful are or from where I can find out.....? Ta

cally49

Hello there! I know how stressful hand luggage can be and when i returned from Heathrow (this is just in case you will be returning, and may be helpful to others)

I had purchased one of those hand luggage trolley thingees to come home with. On the bag was a tag saying this bag has ben verified by BRITISH AIRWAYS as being the correct dimensions for cabin baggage. was flying AIR NEW ZEALAND the check in guy said to me will your bag fit in that hole, im going oh yes its the proper size! So he sent me to check it and hey presto it was ever so slightly bigger and wouldnt fit in.

Anyhow i said to him look i really have had a crap trip (my gran had died)i cant be bothered with this what do you suggest i do....He said well they will stop you at the top and get you to put your handbag in it anyhow and if you look like you know what you are doing they wont check the size of your bag BUT IF THEY DO BE WARNED YOU WILL HAVE TO BRING IT DOWN HERE AND CHECK IT IN and pay 150 uk pounds for the extra case or go and buy a new smaller bag i thought thank goodness i didnt bring a laptop as well....

Anyhow when i got to the final exit where you say your final goodbyes before going through passport control there were tressel tables set up in the hallway (where the general public are) and this is where they were checking the plastic bags with liquids BUT they were also making everyone put their handbags in their carry on luggage and only one bag was allowed.....

So here i was with my suitcase trolley sitting on the ground with a handbag that was stuffed to capacity with bits n pieces and my hand luggage which was jammed full with al sorts of stuff (was the correct weight though) I was taking gifts out of boxes & flat packing the boxes to re assemble when i got back home it was hilarious. There were people stepping all over me the reason for having to do this from what i could see was to save time, because of all the other checks they have to do with the terrorist threats it was all to do with when your bags are scanned thru the scanner because after this you were allowed to remove them again.
Only i managed to make myself look a bit of an idiot when i decided to buy sum things in a chemist afterwards & got to the front of the long que only to realise that my handbag was still in my trolley bag and had to retrieve it with all these people standing behind me lol.....
Nothing was ever mentioned again about the size of my bag thank goodness. Ok must dash hope ya all have a great weekend....

JAJ

There is no excuse for such nazi-style behaviour.

And there's actually no reason for the ridiculous UK "one-bag" rule anyway. Nowhere else in the world, not even the United States, thinks it's necessary.

Perhaps a symptom of the control-freak tendency rampant under the current British government.

Incidentally, this stupid rule applies to all those flying into the UK (as well) if in transit to a domestic flight.

Elvira

I think the one-bag rule was introduced in the UK mainly because security at LHR - the world's busiest international airport - cannot cope. Nothing to do with government control-freakery.

I have flown *to* the UK twice since the one-bag rule was introduced last August and was able to take 2 bags (roll-away + back-pack) on board each time.

cally49

What i cant quite get into my head though is the fact that in the UK i wanted to buy a certain toy for my grandson ( a thomas the tank engine aqua draw mat) no if i had gone into any random shop and purchased it iwould have to have fitted it into my suitcase (which i knew was never going to happen as i didnt have the space left)

So i passed through customs forgetting all aout it until i saw the Hammils toy store and they said oh yes its fine if you buy it here you can carry it on the plane with you.......Now its not a smallbox but if i could take any amount of duty free on board the plane how can it be a weight and dimension issue??

cally49

Almost forgot on a lighter note i did tell the guy at check in that i now weighed 10kg heavier than the last time i flew and did that have to be taken into consideration.....He nearly fell off his chair laughing

Elvira

You cannot take *any* amount on board. If you have more than they consider reasonable, or if they run out of overhead bin space, they'll make you check the excess at the gate.

GinaUK

I flew from London Heathrow to Germany (Cologne) three weeks ago. I'd made sure I had no liquids whatsoever in my hand luggage as I thought that was the easiest way to go.

My handbag went through the security scanner and I got told off for having a stick of lipbalm in it. This is solid (!) but for some reason counts as "liquid" (which I didn't know).

The punishment dished out to me by the security guy was to take every item out of my handbag. This included taking out every single tampon out of a tampon holder. Once everthing had been taken out of my bag and placed into a plastic box, the plastic box was sent back through the scanner.

I was then given the box and told I was allowed to put everything back into my handbag. I was also again told off for not having put the solid lipbalm stick into a clear plastic bag and told not to do that again.

On the flight back to Heathrow at Cologne airport an elderly couple in front of me had shampoo bottles in their hand luggage. They were just waved through.

So: definitely be aware that at Heathrow "nazi" behaviour rules and that certain "solids" count as "liquids" (my guess is it depends on how they feel on the day).

Gina

JAJ

Part of the problem is that security screeners are employed by BAA (are they?), when they ought to be public servants in uniform (eg like the TSA screeners in the United States). With high expectations of courtesy while they do their job.

The are stories of nazi behaviour in other countries too, but the difference is that it now appears to be the norm in the United Kingdom, not the exception.

Jerseygirl

and Manchester.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

I wouldn't call ripping a brand new suitcase open with something akin to a screwdriver, breaking the zip in the process, when the TSA approved lock, wasnt even locked! .. courteous.

fuschiagirl

Most definately Manchester I almost had a fight with a stroppy woman security guard. She was SO rude! My crime was a tiny container of cuticle treatment that was solid It was certainly not liquid. I wouldn't have minded if she had been civil but she was plain rude

The Diabolical

On a recent trip home they removed a bottle of Daddies Brown Sauce from my hand bag?