London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest travel hubs in the world, has long tested passengers on more than just baggage weight limits. For years, the real torment has been the rigid 100 ml liquid rule in cabin bags, which has forced people to travel with tiny bottles and plastic pouches. That era is finally ending. Heathrow’s long-awaited £1 billion technology upgrade is now in place, allowing higher liquid limits and doing away with messy plastic bags.
Yet netizens remain unimpressed with the development. Many have called the rule ‘absolutely meaningless,’ saying its uneven application across airports will only add to travellers’ confusion.
What did the 100 ml liquid ban mean?
Heathrow’s £1 billion upgrade includes an updated electronic scanner that will no longer require travellers to remove the contents from side their bags. The latest CT scanners provide 3D images of the inside of the bag, allowing the authorities to get a clearer picture, without physical contact with the contents.
Apart from Heathrow, Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick and Edinburgh are already using this technology in the UK. According to Heathrow officials, the new scanners will save nearly 16 million plastic bags a year.
100 ml liquid rule: What’s allowed, what’s not
While the rule change from Heathrow updates the 100 ml rule to 2 litres, it only applies to flights leaving Heathrow. So, even if travellers manage to carry larger toiletries in their hand luggage on outbound flights, there’s no assurance that they will be allowed to bring them back through airport security overseas.
This liquid rule has been one of the biggest causes of concern for travellers. Being the target of huge social media backlash, it eventually became a root for memes. Interestingly, the scanner update was scheduled for December 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic was met with heightened travel restrictions, heavily impacting the aviation industry. With the inconsistency of this rule across airports, it has left travellers confused as to where the liquid rule stands. While Heathrow requires the passengers to carry liquids in a clear plastic bag, others allow liquids only in 100 ml containers, a continued hassle for passengers entering or leaving the UK.
Travellers react to the liquid limit
“It’s great until the country on the other side, coming back, doesn’t have the same rule,” reacted a user on X (formerly Twitter). “Everything in technology has advanced but not airport scanners,” wrote another frustrated traveller. “I’ll remember that next time I’m flying from Heathrow to Heathrow,” remarked a user, given the inconsistent rules across airports in the world.
Sharing an anecdote, a traveller claimed that some airports required a ‘for babies’ tag for parents to carry liquids like milk and water. They explained, “At Luton Airport…they confiscated a tiny purée jar simply because it lacked the ‘for babies’ label. They took everything.”
“It’s absolutely meaningless if just a single airport does it. This even leads to more confusion,” echoed a concerned traveller.
