Handluggage Guidelines - What can you take onboard?

Air passengers face more delays at British airports despite a scaling-down of restrictions, brought in because of a terror scare.

The total ban on hand luggage has been lifted but liquids are still not allowed.

In brief, passengers are now permitted to carry ONE item of cabin baggage through the airport security search point. The cabin bag should be no bigger than 45cm wide x 35cm long x 16cm deep (17.7" wide × 13.7" long × 6.2" deep), including wheels, handles, side pockets - equivalent to a small laptop bag or rucksack.

Full details:

The restrictions on contents allowed in cabin baggage have now been relaxed and the items prohibited from cabin baggage are now as follows:

- Any cosmetics
- Any toiletries, including toothpaste, hair gel, lotions, perfume, deodorant, shaving foam, aerosols, etc.
- Any liquids
- Any drinks
- Any sharp objects

Passengers taking flights from Britain will each be allowed to take a small piece of hand luggage on board after the government lowered the state of alert from “critical” to “severe”.

Customers on all international flights will be able to ditch the clear plastic bags in use after Thursday’s anti-terrorist operation and take on board a bag no bigger than 16cm by 35cm by 45cm: the size of a small laptop case.

Cabin baggage must not contain cosmetics, toiletries, liquids or drinks. However, passengers will be allowed electronic equipment, including laptops, prescribed medicines in liquid form and baby milk and food, provided it is tasted by parents. For non-US flights, they will also from Tuesday be allowed to take on board any items bought in the departure lounge, such as bottles of water, sandwiches or cosmetics.

However, passengers on US-bound flights face tougher rules. There is still a ban on liquid or gel items bought in the departure lounge, and food or drink is not allowed on board.

Passengers from the UK to all destinations can still carry a few items in a small plastic bag in addition to their hand luggage. Items allowed are: wallets and purses; travel documents; prescription medicines and medical items essential for the flight (liquid forms require verification); spectacles and sunglasses, without cases; contact lens holders, without bottles of solution; unboxed female sanitary items; unboxed tissues; keys (but no electrical key fobs), and nappies.

• nothing may be carried in pockets
• all passengers must be hand searched, and their footwear and all the items they are carrying must be X-ray screened
• pushchairs and walking aids must be X-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point
• in addition, all passengers boarding flights to the USA and all the items they are carrying, including those acquired after the central screening point, must be subjected to a secondary search at the boarding gate
  any liquids discovered must be taken from the passenger.
• no changes to current hold baggage security measures.