New Rules Make Changes in How You Pack Your Luggage

Ten years ago, it was a great idea to pack everything you'd need on your trip into a single carry-on bag-if it was a wheeled one, well, that was even better. You would scoot smugly past other, overburdened passengers at the check-in; and once the plane landed, as soon as you'd cleared Passport Control, you were headed toward a waiting taxi. There was even a certain democracy in requiring every passenger to schlep his or her own worldly possessions. That was then.

Airline regulations that went into effect in 2001 require you to leave your needle and thread, your cigarette lighter, and your pocketknife in checked baggage-which means that you have to check some baggage, if you plan to travel with everyday items such as these.

This past August, UK Home Secretary John Reid stepped up home security for domestic and international flights, requiring stringent luggage searches and restrictions on carrying liquids on board. Passengers flying through the UK were even forbidden from carrying their laptops and mp3 players on board. While the rules have relaxed somewhat, stringent rules remain in effect. Hand luggage must not exceed the size of a small roller suitcase; other luggage (such as a handbag) may be carried with the cabin baggage, but all items will be X-ray screened.

While musical items are allowed on board, they will have to be screened separately. No liquids of any type may pass the security check point, with the exception of prescription medicines essential for the flight once they've been verified as authentic; baby milk and liquid baby food, as long as the passenger is willing to taste it in the presence of security. Now, the Transportation Safety Authority has banned carrying liquids and gels on board. Good-bye on-board toothpaste, after-shave lotion, and shaving cream. Immediately after the new regulations went into effect, airport management reported that the volume of checked baggage increased 50%; even now, the number of checked bats remains 10 to 30% what it was a year ago.