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Airline Christmas Carry-on Rules - Lucky Santa!
Great news that the BA strike has been called off - for the sake of its customers, and BA itself. However, travellers are facing yet another challenge - travel chaos due to the snowy and wintry weather.
Lucky old Santa doesn’t have to worry about the weather or getting his sleigh through airport security, but the rest of us do. Here are a few reminders regarding Christmas hand luggage:
Wrapped Christmas gifts should be packed in your luggage and checked in. If you need to carry Christmas gifts in hand luggage wait to wrap them until you get to your destination. Don’t cause delays by having your carefully wrapped gifts unceremoniously unwrapped by airport security. Also, watch you don’t exceed your airline’s liquid, or carry-on allowance.
The limit on liquids in carry-on luggage is still in force at most airports, so be mindful of any gifts that may be considered ‘liquid.’ The rules themselves are quite fluid, often inconsistent, and vary from airport to airport. Items such as soft cheese, mascara, face cream, and shaving foam are considered liquid. We’ve heard some wacky stories, such as someone trying to take a whole frozen salmon in hand luggage, which was banned as being ‘liquid’, but if the fish had not been frozen it would have been okay! Go figure.
Note: Liquids purchased ‘airside’ (after passing through security) can be taken on the aircraft, such as wine, perfume, bottled water, etc.
Whether or not Christmas Crackers are allowed as hand luggage may depend on airport security, but they are likely to be confiscated. At Stansted a notice has been posted stating that Christmas Crackers will be confiscated and donated to children’s homes and care homes. They are not bothered about the paper hats, plastic animals, or corny jokes, but some crackers contain gifts that are in breach of security requirements.
Gel-type candles and snow globes are not permitted in hand luggage. Toy guns are also a no-no. To avoid any disappointment check your airline’s website for their carry-on luggage rules and if still in doubt call them, or play it safe and pack the items in checked luggage. For general information about airline hand baggage rules, liquids, etc. check the UK Directgov website.
Don’t forget to take out Travel Insurance before you leave home. Oh, and one last thing… We wouldn’t recommend taking a bag of Party Poppers onboard, for obvious reasons!
Flickr Image: lizjones112
