London City Airport Eliminates Carry-on Restrictions

DALLAS — Technology is making things easier and faster for travelers at London City Airport (LCY). New high-tech scanners at the airport now allow passengers to carry more than 100 ml of liquid in their carry-on luggage, and toiletries no longer need to be put into separate bags.

The airport is the second to use this technology after Teesside (MME) began testing it in March. The UK government has mandated that most airports in the country install the technology—C3 scanners—by 2023.

The scanners operate in a manner similar to CT scanners at hospitals and present a 3D image to security staff. LCY began testing the new scanner around a year ago and went live using four of the scanners on Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/LondonCityAir/status/1643217095482650624

Fast and Secure

"The level of processing now through the X-ray is even more secure than it was previously, and the machine has the ability to differentiate to between a non-dangerous and a dangerous liquid,” said LCY chief operating officer Alison FitzGerald. “We have always prided ourselves on embracing innovation and being early adopters of new technology.

"The new CT scanners will take our passenger experience to another level, reducing the stress and hassle of 100mL liquids in clear, plastic bags and having to unload your hand luggage. The new process delivers a much more efficient security operation with enhanced security screening.” Bottles with a capacity of up to 2 liters are allowed.

The scanners can reject images that do not meet its go/no go requirements and request that security personnel examine the items in person. So while questionable items are examined, shampoo, perfume, and water should pass through without hesitation.

"The whole process is quicker on the basis that previously you needed to empty your bag and put that in multiple trays whereas now it's one bag in one tray and you don't need to take everything out," MS FitzGerald said.

The new scanners will be rolled out across the UK gradually. Passengers should check to see if their airport has installed the new technology. If not, the 100 ml rule will still be in place.

The BBC says Gatwick is trialing the technology. Other airports are not saying when they will switch over but indicate that they are in line to meet the June 2024 deadline. The CT technology is already in use in some international hub airports such as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in the United States.