Woman shares airport security warning after being stopped over 'common' item
A woman has divided people online after revealing the small mistake which she claims saw her getting pulled for additional security screening at the airport.
It's a universally agreed fact of life that airports are the most stressful part of travelling.
From checking that your passport hasn't moved from your back pocket every five minutes to spending hours waiting around in a grey departure lounge; there's a reason why most people crave a pint while they're at the airport - though it's not exactly recommended.
Security in particular is a complete minefield, especially with the UK laws on liquids in hand luggage currently set to change in the near future.
Advert
As things currently stand, passengers cannot bring any liquids in hand luggage if they're over 100ml and all of these liquids must be able to fit into one clear plastic bag.
Which means spending an unnecessary amount of time decanting your shampoo and shower gel into mini travel bottles.
While the law is pretty clear on what is and isn't allowed through security, the question of what counts as a liquid can often leave passengers feeling confused.
This confusion was evident in a recent Reddit thread, where one woman sought advice after supposedly being pulled for extra security screening due to having asthma inhalers and medication in her bag.
Relaying the incident, she wrote that her bag 'got taken for a search because I didn’t take out my inhalers and medicine capsules'.
She went on to write that she'd received a 'lecture' from the security guy who'd stopped her and told her that placing inhalers and liquid medication in a clear liquid bag has been a rule for the last '2 and a half years ago' - despite the woman claiming that she'd never been asked to do it before.
It turns out she wasn't the only person who had been left confused by the rules either, with several people also revealing their experiences when travelling abroad.
"I was not aware this was a rule," wrote one person, who added that they've flown regularly with medication in their hand luggage, while another poster recalled being questioned for needing 'three inhalers' with them.
Guidance on the UK Government website isn't too clear, stating that you need proof of prescription for liquid medication over 100ml while inhalers are fine to take in hand luggage, however, advice from airports such as Stansted, Manchester and Gatwick says that inhalers are included as a liquid and must be kept in a clear plastic bag.
According to Stansted Airport's website, exemptions to the rule are if they are 'for essential medical purposes', in which case they must be accompanied with 'a medical note or prescription'.
This is backed up by the experience of one commenter who works in an airport and wrote that inhalers are considered and LAG (liquids, aerosols and gases).
"I'm asthmatic and I work at an airport. Inhalers are classed as a LAG so need to be screened in a seperate [sic] clear plastic bag," they wrote.
"It doesn't matter if your inhaler is a dry powder inhaler and doesn't use compressed gas. On an x-ray, it'll still look like a compressed gas inhaler."
Topics: Travel, Reddit, Plane Etiquette
Brenna Cooper