ABTA Issues Reminder for Hand Luggage Rules on Liquids and Laptops to Half-Term Travelers

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ABTA – The Travel Association is advising travelers during the upcoming half-term to adhere to existing hand luggage guidelines for liquids and electronics at airport security. This guidance is meant to prevent delays and confusion due to the slow implementation of advanced security scanners.

These new scanners, once fully operational, will eliminate the 100ml restriction on liquids and permit electronic devices like laptops and tablets to remain inside hand luggage during security checks. However, as of 1 June 2024, many UK airports are not expected to have these scanners fully functional, aligning with the Government’s initial target date.

The adoption of this new technology is also lagging in many international airports.

Given this situation, ABTA recommends that all travelers during this half-term continue to observe the current regulations regarding liquids and electronic devices, which include:

• A maximum of 100ml per liquid item.
• All liquids must be removed from bags, placed in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag measuring 20cm x 20cm, with only one bag allowed per person.
• Electronic devices must be taken out of hand luggage for the security screening.

ABTA also encourages travelers to pay attention to airport signs and instructions regarding the security measures in effect.

ABTA Director of Public Affairs, Luke Petherbridge, said:

“Half-term is a popular time for families to get away for some guaranteed sunshine, with European favourites such as Spain, Greece, Turkey and Portugal set to welcome significant numbers of visitors.

“To help everyone enjoy a stress-free experience this half-term, our message is simple – you can’t go wrong if you stick to the current rules around liquids and laptops when preparing your hand luggage.

“The new airport scanners will make things faster and strengthen security once they’re fully implemented, while we have this period whereby airports are still working to implement the changes, the best thing to do is travel as if nothing has changed.”