Airport security 100ml liquid rule to finally be scrapped

After years of desperately trying to fit all of your toiletries into a teeny, tiny plastic bag, airports are set to scrap the rule that limits liquids to 100ml.

Every day in life we go about using shampoo bottles, moisturiser, deodorant and toothpaste from bottles created to human scale; ones which contain enough product to see us through more than a couple of days.

And yet for some reason, when we go on holiday and need to account for suncream, aftersun and everything else you want to pack 'just in case', we're restricted to minuscule versions of these products.

David Gee 4 / Alamy Stock Photo

Not only that, but you have to carefully select your items to ensure they fit into bags which I'm fairly certain are only designed to hold sandwiches.

While some travellers have mastered the art of the 100ml rule, others regularly find themselves waving goodbye to their beloved perfumes, lip balms and hairsprays that just didn't make the cut. Well, not any more.

The government has now set a deadline of June 2024 for most UK airports to install new high-tech 3D scanners which are able to offer up more detailed images of what customers are packing in their bags.

The new scanners will eradicate the need for travellers to remove some electrical items, such as laptops, from bags, and allow the liquid rule to be increased to two litres.

Potentially more than we know what to do with, but we'll take it.

It comes after a previous installation deadline was pushed back due to the pandemic, with the legislation being phased in across the country over the next two years.

Home Bird / Alamy Stock Photo

Commenting on the announcement, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the new technology would reduce queue times and improve the 'passenger experience, and most importantly detecting potential threats'.

Christopher Snelling, policy director at the Airport Operators Association, which represents UK airports, described the investment as a 'great step forward for UK air travel, matching the best in class around the world', adding: "It will make the journey through the UK's airports easier and air travel itself more pleasant."

Current rules, including removing electrical items and limiting liquids to 100ml, will remain in place at airports that have not yet upgraded their scanners.

However, with the new ruling now in place, you might only have to deal with those dreaded plastic bags a handful of times before you're free to take all the shampoo and conditioner you can handle - if what you can handle is two litres.