Airport hand luggage rules will change again on Monday as restrictions are harmonised across the European Union.
There will be a slight relaxation in the UK, while airports elsewhere in Europe fall into line with UK practice, as revealed in Travel Weekly October 6.
Airports operator BAA warned passengers to expect queues. However, the change will come at one of the quietest times of year and common rules across Europe should cut down on confusion.
The only change UK passengers will notice is a more relaxed attitude to liquids.
Toiletries in containers no larger than 100 millilitres will be permitted, providing they are in a small, clear plastic bag no more than eight inches square.
A standard tube of toothpaste or small deodorant will get through, but drinks, shampoo and shaving foam will not.
Passengers can use freezer bags sold in supermarkets to carry the containers that must fit in the single bag allowed as cabin luggage.
A BAA spokesman said passengers should continue packing toiletries in check-in baggage. “It’s an added complication. You could get it wrong and have to go back,” he said. “The restrictions are quite complex and we advise people to get to the airport earlier.”
BAA will have free supplies of transparent bags available following the change.
The current level of body searches will continue, but requests for passengers to remove shoes at security should end.
A spokeswoman for British Airways said: “Anything that brings the UK into line with the rest of Europe has to be welcomed.”
BA was expected to report a fall in second-quarter profits due to the security restrictions when it released half-yearly results at the end of this week.