Air-security rules set to change passengers’ habits[fr] 

Although airports and airlines have had some time to prepare, it is likely that the new measures could cause confusion and delay for passengers. 

This is particularly true for travellers coming from outside Europe (where rules are not as strict) who could face confiscations of private items and duty-free purchases if they are oversized or not presented in appropriate, tamper-proof bags. 

Passengers could even encounter problems related to rule inconsistencies in Europe, as countries are free to adopt stricter measures than the EU minimum rules if they wish. 

The new measures will also lead to increased processing and screening costs in airports, although these costs might be partly offset by increased sales of drinks and snacks in airport shops and on flights. 

Tighter rules on carry-on luggage will also undermine a recent push by budget airlines to reduce costs by encouraging passengers to bring only hand luggage onto planes and to check in online. 

European Commission Vice-President in charge of Transport Jacques Barrot said: “The new regulation will plug a gap in our defences, by restricting the liquids that passengers can carry past screening points and on board aircraft.” 

However, Peter Andres, vice president of corporate security at Lufthansa, told Aviation Daily that European airports "will be a mess over the first weeks" of the new regime. 

Director General of ACI-Europe Olivier Jankovec noted that although the new measures were “sensible” and “should ensure a viable future for airport retailing” as well as providing clarity for travellers, airlines and airports, “their implementation will have significant consequences from both a cost and operational perspective for both airports and airlines”. 

AEA Secretary General Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus added: “A transatlantic airliner could be carrying up to 420 passengers…If the security processing time for each one were to increase by just one minute, that’s seven extra hours needed to handle the flight…This amounts to a huge additional burden on airline and airport resources, and a huge source of potential aggravation for passengers.” 

The European Cockpit Association (ECA) fears that the new measures will have an “unacceptable” impact on flight-crews, which can work inside aircraft for up to 14 hours at a time and thus need to have with them a series of health and sanitary products that are now forbidden. It states that the “general exception system intended to allow staff, including flight crews, to carry the newly prohibited articles are good only for staff working in one airport. They are not adequate for pilots working in different airports where there are other rules on how to apply the exceptions.” 

The European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) says that the rules are satisfactory for duty-free retailers as passengers will be allowed to buy as usual from any airport retailer once they are through the boarding pass inspection point. However, some airport retailers located in 'landside' areas are afraid that they could suffer losses.

ETRC President Frank O'Connell said that the only noticeable change for EU passengers will be that liquids, gels and pastes purchased from airside retail outlets will be sealed in transparent plastic bags. He added: “The sealed bag programme is simple, efficient and convenient for passengers.” Nevertheless, he warned that the changes in EU rules could cause “chaos” as passengers from third countries with softer rules transiting at airports throughout Europe see their items confiscated.