Hi,
Not sure if this is the right forum, but does anyone know if Stansted have increased security due to the recent events? We fly Thomson on Sunday to Sharm, flight due to leave at 9am and we're wondering if we should get to the airport earlier than planned - we were planning to get there at 6am, just wondering if we should get there half an hour/an hour earlier?

Much appreciated.
Lady64

lady64,

All airports are on hightened security. However there have been no changes to luggage regulations or security screening. There's no need to get there any earlier than normal. 3 hours before your flight is more than enough.

Darren

Thank you Darren, getting up at 5am is early enough even for a holiday flight!!

Regards
Lady64

Hi.

We would like to take a laptop with us for the first time on our next holiday as the hotel has wifi. We are flying with Monarch. Please can anyone tell me if its ok to take through as hand luggage? I Keep worrying if it dosent get accepted through the scanner.

Thanks.

Danny,

It's fine to take a laptop. However, it'll have to be put through the x-ray machine seperately so don't pile too many things on top of it.

Darren

Laptops MUST be taken as hand luggage and not put in the hold as it wouldn't be covered by your travel insurance.

If it is in a laptop bag it will have to be taken out to go through the x-ray. However if it is just in a sleeve you usually don't have to take it out.

luci

Thanks very much Darren and luci.

I am off on my hols this monday and my other half has bought a portable dvd player, charger etc. Can this go in our hand luggage or has it got to be in suit cases, especially the mains charger ....

Thank you

Michelle

Derwentrocker,

As long as it's within size and weight restrictions, you can take it onboard the aircraft in hand luggage. Bear in mind if you're going to Cuba, you can't take it in to the country.

Darren

Probably a stupid question, but, are wet wipes classed as liquids?

Mobor One,

No, they're classed as wet wipes! A liquid in terms of aviation security is an actual free liquid, not something that is impregnated on to something.

Darren

Thanks Darren. I've been meaning to ask that for ages!

Easyjet at Stansted didn't have a problem with hubby and I taking a large carrier bag of toys we'd got in Hamley's on the plane. We did see them commenting to another passenger about having a small bag (looked as though she'd got the £3 meal deal) from boots as well as her 1 piece of hand luggage. Couldn't hear exactly what was said though but I think from what I heard that small things should be in the one piece of hand luggage, it does say in the FAQ's that one 'normal' size carrier bag of things bought airside is allowed as well as your 1 piece of hand luggage (unless it's changed since I was looking at flights for May next year, a few weeks ago). Also, hubby & I had our twin girls with us, so maybe staff used common sense with us. I was waiting for staff to comment on the Hamleys bag we had after seeing them comment about the small Boots bag. Other possibility is they didn't like the lady taking her own food on board even though in the FAQ's, it says you can take your own food on board.

Interesting to hear about the possible easing of liquids restrictions in hand luggage (but not yet):

AOL report here

Do e readers (Amazon Kindle) have to be removed from hand luggage at security or can it stay in my bag? Kindle is in a case.

cate_taylor,

It can stay in your bag, but you may be asked to remove it after screening for manual checking along with other electronic items.

Darren

Does the cloth that staff wipe over electronics, have electro magnetic material in it? I've read online that e ink technology is susceptible to being damaged by electro magnetic things and some airports are using scanners for hand luggage which use elctro magnetic something. Airports I'll be using this year are Dublin, London Gatwick and possibly London Stansted.

no the wipes are not magnetic, they are to detect drugs and explosives, as for the scanners i have been taking my mp3 and camera for years and they have never suffered from going through the scanners

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php?topic=15443.0 Scroll down to post from The Hooded Claw. Interesting theory about some airports using scanners with electromagnetic fields in them. That article is about a K2 but I reckon that K3's could be susceptible as well. If staff do want to do a manual check, the first thing I'll be asking is if my Kindle will be exposed to anything that could damage it.