Toothpaste, creams and gels may be banned on EU flights

By Jeff Mason LIQUIDS, creams and gels may be banned from hand luggage on European flights under new rules being discussed by EU countries in the aftermath of last month's foiled London bomb plot, sources familiar with the talks said. They said the new rules could severely limit the size of carry-on bags and prohibit passengers from carrying items such as toothpaste and hand lotion throughout the European Union. Security experts from the EU's 25 member states met in Brussels this week to discuss potential changes, and another meeting is scheduled for Sept. 6-7. “Member states are thinking of banning all liquids on board... for all flights” including gels and creams, said one source who was briefed on the meetings and asked not to be identified. “They are strongly considering restricting the size of hand luggage below IATA standards,” the source said. This could lead people to pack a lot into small bags, making them trickier to screen, the source said. “It will create chaos in terms of waiting times. The screening will be more difficult.” Another source said exceptions were being studied for duty-free items bought at airports which could be sold in sealed bags. The European Commission declined to comment. Airport screening is largely the same in mainland Europe as it was before Aug. 10, when British police said they had foiled a plot by would-be suicide bombers to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound airliners with liquid explosives. Passengers at mainland European airports since then have said they were not required to remove their shoes or belts for screening - often standard practice in the United States - nor have they had to surrender water bottles and other liquids. Airports including Frankfurt, Vienna, Athens and Madrid reported no new security measures since the discovery of the London plot, except for U.S. and UK-bound flights.