A travel expert has warned that four out of five Brits have no idea about a new security rule that has been introduced this year.
The Government announced earlier this year that major airports would have to introduced new scanners by June 1 which would allow passengers to take two litres of liquids onboard planes in their hand luggage and keep items like laptops in their bags.
Having already been delayed from 2022, many airports including Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester have admitted they will miss next week's deadline. Smaller airports such as Teesside, London City, Birmingham and Newcastle have new security screening technology in place and expect to go live on time.
The different levels of success by airports has left passengers very confused about what they should and shouldn't bring to the airport. A survey conducted by AirAdvisor and shared exclusively with the Mirror revealed that 83% of people are unaware of what the 100ml liquid rules will be at airports this summer.
The new rule will allow passengers to take two litres of liquids onboard planes in their hand luggage. The move will apply to UK airports, so rules at other destinations or for a journey back to the UK, may still apply. The current rule is that passengers are permitted to take liquids under 100ml in their hand luggage, in a sealed 20cm x 20cm and cannot exceed one litre — this will remain in place until June 1 at the earliest.
With most passengers not keeping tabs on minor developments in the aviation industry, many travellers will assume the 100ml liquid rule will be scrapped from all UK airports, starting June 1. However, this is not the case. Anton Radchenko, founder and CEO of AirAdvisor, said: "Considering this rule holds significant importance and will redefine how we travel, people should be aware of it."
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The only airports that will scrap the 100ml liquid rule this summer are London City, Newcastle, and Teesside. This is because they have already installed the 3-D CT scanners. The same goes for Birmingham, which is the only major airport to hit the target date of June 1.
Other prominent airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester are running behind schedule and are expected to introduce the rule within the first few months of 2025. According to the survey, 97% of respondents didn't know which airports will be scrapping the 100ml liquid rules this summer.
"If you're travelling through any of these airports, the old rules will still apply to you even if you're travelling to/from London City, Newcastle, and Teesside, which have scrapped the 100ml liquid rule," said Anton. "Passengers flying on this route must be careful and aware that old rules will still apply this summer."
With such high amounts of travellers not fully understanding the rule changes, airports could fall into chaos.
"I don't think airlines are prepared for it," said Anton. "Airlines are also to blame for this confusion because they hardly keep their passengers informed with relevant updates." Frustration with good customer service was apparent in the survey, with 77% of respondents thinking that airlines' customer support service, is bad.
"Unless airlines communicate proactively with their passengers and inform them that the old hand luggage rules will stand in place this summer, there will be confusion," Anton warned. "Ideally, they should send SMS [messages], emails, and call alerts to ticket-holders and previous passengers alike."
For respondents, the most challenging aspect of summer air travel is the change in 100ml rules (42%), followed by delays and cancellations (34%), congestion at airports (13%), lost luggage (7%), and missed flights (3%). With the potential lack of communication from airlines over the peak season, passengers may inadvertently cause airport delays.
Anton advised: "Apart from proactive communication, I recommend airlines leverage social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to spread the message to the general audience and create awareness. Airlines should also make use of help desks to assist passengers, as not all will have access to social media. Considering it's busy summer travel season, airlines and airports should be prepared with more customer support staff to avoid confusion, save time, and streamline the airport security process."
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