Current status of flying with gear

[hart]

Seems to be a common topic of conversation here every few months, though there hasn't been a mention of it this year (search is my friend) so I thought I'd post a status update based on my research this evening.

Current airport security restrictions (particularly international) are based around the threat of liquid explosives - currently there are no restrictions on laptops, cameras, lenses, etc with the exception of tripods - they must be checked and cannot be carried on board most flights.

Liquids are limited to 100ml per item and items must all fit inside a 1lt clear plastic ziplock bag (20cm x 20cm or 25cm x 15cm) and must be presented separately during security screening (along with laptops as usual).

Information sourced from dotars, Qantas and KLM websites plus a few phone calls to Qantas in Australia and KLM in the UK to get the European angle on things.

All information is current as of right now and could change at any minute - always check first before flying, don't rely on advice found on bulletin boards and Internet forums, #include <std/disclaimer.h>, YMMV, IANAL, etc

Cheers

Leigh (heading to Europe in August, planning wayyyyy ahead).

[wendellt]

hi thanks for this

times have changed

in London they confiscated my 200mm bottle of limoncello in my hand luggage

in london there are a lot of rules the worst is the 1 piece of hand luggage rule
i have my camera gear in my backpack but i also carry the laptop with me too
but ive managed to now carry all items in my backpack regardless of the weight issue and i get through

hand luggage should be around 12kg
but i always exceed that its a loose rule, also depends who you fly with

also if your in europe and you fly around its considered domestic and domestic baggage rules apply like 1 large suitcase per person not 2
e.g from rome to london via british airways is considered domestic
they only allow 1 large suitcase per person
100 euros more for excess baggage
or you can chuck a fit cause a scene like i did and they let you go
without paying the 100 euros
of course im only speaking here for british airways it may be different for other airlines

the less you carry the better

[apsilon]

I'll just quickly add that within Australia the liquids restrictions are on international flights only, not domestic. Having said that however when I flew on Monday I found they picked up much smaller amounts of metal. Things that I would normally carry through OK were detected (inc my Ti watch and ring and glasses which have never been a problem before). Don't know if they've made a conscious change or it was just one of those days and the sensitivity was up a bit.

[Wocka]

I just came through Heathrow Airport on Saturday.

Had to separate the wifes liquids ( shampoo etc ) into 100ml bottles - that passed.
Had to taste test one of my baby food jar's ( not included in the 100ml limit or plastic bag) for my 8 month old daughter - that passed.
Had my camera in one backpack my wife was carrying - that passed.
Had my flash / 30mm lens / AA batteries / portable HDD / spare laptop HDD / rocket blower / stofen in a small cardboard box in my backpack - that all passed un-questioned.
I put my cleaning fluid etc in my suitcase as that is flamable.

My backpack was about 8kg, my wife's was about 4kg. They don't weigh them as you go through or check the size limitation.

Once we were through security we just unloaded all the baby stuff ( nappies, change of clothes, food etc ) into one of those re-usable shopping bags. The 1 bag limitation is UK Security not that of QANTAS.

It's just a pain having to pull your laptop out @ security, with your boarding pass / passport etc in your hand.

Cheers