While Dublin and several European airports are adapting to new technological implementations, lifting liquid restrictions, the longstanding 100 millilitre limit on liquids, aerosols, and gels remains in place for most EU travellers.
Full-sized containers are still not yet allowed at US airports as TSA protocols undergo review. Potential fines for non-compliance with existing regulations may range from €50 to €200 for breach of a rule born from the 2006 transatlantic airline liquid bomb plot that prompted a continent-wide crackdown.
Substances, ranging from shower gels and perfumes to toothpaste and even semi-liquid foods like soups or jams, must still be corralled into a single transparent plastic bag of no more than one litre capacity, with each container capped at 100 millilitres. Larger volumes are consigned to checked baggage.
Exemptions persist for essential medicines, baby milk, and dietary needs, provided passengers can furnish proof upon request.
At the beginning fo the summer, EU airports began to deploy advanced computed tomography (CT) scanners capable of detecting explosives in larger containers without the need for removal at checkpoints.
Approved by the European Civil Aviation Conference in June, this technology has already been rolled out in select terminals across Italy, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, and Sweden, allowing passengers at those spots to carry up to two litres of liquids in their carry-ons – a boon for families and frequent flyers weary of decanting toiletries into travel-sized vials. Airports like Berlin and Rome have scrapped the 100 millilitre cap entirely for equipped lanes, while Bristol and Edinburgh in Scotland, post-Brexit but aligned with similar tech, are following suit.
The Airports Council International warns that inconsistent rules could snag connecting flights, urging passengers to continue check terminal-specific guidelines via apps or airport websites
Across the pond, the mood is markedly more optimistic, thanks to Secretary Noem’s aggressive drive to overhaul American airport protocols. Confirmed as Homeland Security chief in January under the Trump administration, the former South Dakota governor has already axed the 19-year “shoes-off” policy at TSA checkpoints in July, citing upgraded full-body scanners and a 94 per cent compliance rate with REAL ID requirements as safeguards against risks like the 2001 shoe bomber attempt. Now, Noem is turning her sights on the TSA’s infamous 3-1-1 rule – mirroring Europe’s 100 millilitre limit – which confines liquids to 3.4-ounce (100 millilitre) containers in a single quart-sized bag. Speaking at The Hill’s Nation Summit in July, she declared she was “questioning everything TSA does,” teasing that revisions to liquid sizes could be the “next big announcement” to foster a “one-minute” security sprint from door to gate.
Critics, however, caution that her zeal for deregulation – including a controversial June edict demanding personal sign-off on all contracts over $100,000, which has delayed 530 deals including passport scanners – risks bottlenecks, with TSA insiders warning of potential manual ID checks if key renewals lapse.
Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security shared, “The future of an airport is you walk in with your carry-on, scan, and straight to your flight – no more guzzling water at the gate.”
