Carry-on liquid ban expected to be lifted — in the UK

The UK government is in discussions with security companies and UK airports to lift the ban on liquids in carry-on luggage as early as next year. Technology already in-place at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 can automatically detect the presence of liquids in carry-on bags. Scientists are testing the scanners to ensure they can also determine if the liquids are harmful.

While that may be good news for UK travelers, in the US, Homeland Security and TSA currently have announced no such discussions to lift the liquid ban here, though I’m sure they’re monitoring the UK testing.

According to a security expert interviewed in the UK by The Independent,

The technology is there, which will allow these scanners not only to test for liquids but also to determine if those liquids are dangerous or not. At the moment, that technology is being tested by the security services and when they are happy that it works, the ban will be lifted.

Four UK airports including Heathrow have bought the liquid detection scanners, and more are on order as the testing of the equipment continues. The Independent reports a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson stated the “time may now be right” for a change in the security rules. Virgin has called for a full review into the security measures involving carry-on luggage according to View London News.

With testing of the new scanning equipment expected to be completed by the year’s end, many are speculating that the liquid ban in the UK could be lifted early next year, but only after all UK airports are equipped with the new scanners.

That’s clearly a problem for TSA in the US. There are more airports in just the Northeast US than all of the UK. While there are 30 UK commercial airports, in the US there are almost 450 commercial airports; it’s going to take a huge financial expenditure to outfit all of them with liquid scanners.

There are still security experts in the UK calling for the ban to remain in place even if the new scanners pass all government tests. TravelCounsellors reports Peter Clarke, former head of counter terrorism at Scotland Yard, told BBC News that the ban must remain in place. Citing his take on the scanning speed of the devices tested thus far, Mr. Clarke stated, “This means of detonation is still in the hands of the terrorists, and so to wind back security, to think of going back to a position where the terrorists could defeat airport security, seems to me foolhardy.”

Last year, The Norwegian Ministry of Transportation asked the EU to lift the liquid ban on airplanes citing its large cost for society, compared to the benefits, according to a report by security expert, Bruce Schneier. The European Parliament agreed with 464 votes for lifting the ban, and only 158 against, with 70 abstentions. Unfortunately, the European Parliament is powerless and their decisions are regularly ignored, as in this case. The European Commission has the real power and they have kept the EU ban in place.

In my July article, Maybe TSA’s liquid rules don’t make us safer — just angrier, I showed how a group of 8 terrorists could assemble 4 quart sized bombs on board a plane under current TSA regulations, which to my mind renders the ban “bankrupt TSA policy.” When the scanners being tested in the UK are ready for action, I support them being installed in the US, as they will actually make fliers safer.

That being said, while the current liquid ban on carry-on luggage might make fliers feel safer, in my opinion it doesn’t actually make them safer. The time has come to lift the world-wide ban on liquids in carry-ons whether the new scanning equipment is in place or not. It’s time for TSA, and their counterparts throughout the world to start psychologically scanning people with far better trained agents than they have now, if they really want to stop terrorism in the air.