Date published: 2006/08/14
The BBC says:
The terror threat to the UK has been downgraded from "critical" to "severe".
Home Secretary John Reid said the change was made because an attack was "highly likely" but not "imminent".
The change in the threat level means the ban on taking hand luggage on to flights from the UK has been lifted, although some restrictions remain.
...
Long-term changes to airport security checks outlined by Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander include the following:
- Passengers can choose what to take on to a plane, but any form of liquid, fluid, lotion or gel will be banned. Electronic devices, such as laptops, will be permitted but will be thoroughly screened.
- A medium-sized item of hand luggage will be permitted. This bag will be around half the size of luggage previously admitted.
- Searches of passengers and their clothing will be conducted more frequently and are to be carried out by hand or using body scanners.
On Sunday night a British Airways flight was turned back after a mobile phone was heard ringing at the back of the plane and no one admitted to owning it.
Unbelievable this. You can no longer even bring water on board an airplane. Hand luggage is reduced, as if that solves anything (and computers already were "thoroughly screened"). And, worst of all, a mobile phone can force an airplane to turn around. The terrorists have clearly won. It's fortunate that the people now running Britain were not running the country in WWII.
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