Former head of M15 Dame Stella Rimington has condemned this summer’s airport security measures as an “over-reaction”.
Speaking at the Association of Women Travel Executives Christmas lunch, Rimington said restrictions on hand luggage were part of a series of impractical measures.
These included giving out plastic knives and forks while still serving wine in glass bottles on flights, she said.
“Periodically, as new threats appear, we see what appears to be over-reaction,” she said.
The industry and public will have to be patient, she said.
“The public loses patience with measures that seem to defy common sense, but getting it right means some difficult judgements.”
“There is a climate exacerbated by the Government’s high profile in terrorism. Total safety seems to be the aim but that’s an impossibility.”