Yahoo News I got pulled aside by security at Manchester Airport for a very strange reason
Even the most straight-laced of passengers gets anxious when passing through airport security.
Whether it's wondering if your bottle of water is too big or doubting that you're allowed to have a tablet you can feel yourself getting flustered as you reach the scanner you must stand inside in order to gain access to the boarding gate.
When it comes to travelling with children the anxiety is heightened further. What about baby formula? Are you able to take a bottle of Calpol onto the plane?
My daughter is now nine, so when we headed off on our summer holiday to Rhodes, I was fairly confident that we wouldn't have anything that caused any concern. But I was wrong.
As we waited for our carry-on bags to make their way through the x-ray conveyor belt at Manchester Airport I noticed that one had been diverted onto a second lane. As it reached the end I mentioned to an employee who said it had been flagged up for a bag search.
The chap asked me to open up my bag as I started to panic. Had we put something in there that we weren't allowed? He then told me: "You won't know what's triggered the alarm... it's this."
And as I pulled aside our books, phones and neck cushions, he picked up an innocent little item which my daughter had brought with her. It was one of those plastic, squishy toys which so many kids are obsessed with at the moment.
We both laughed as he saw the funny side. But he still ran it through a separate machine and then swabbed it. Fortunately the squishy duck 'passed' and we were able to carry on to the boarding gate.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “There are a range of different reasons why security staff may need to investigate an item in a bag. Passenger safety is always our top priority and our security teams are trained to check any item that raises any concerns. In some instances the reasons may be obvious, for example where an item has a sharp edge, but there will also be times when the reasons will be less obvious.”
Restricted items (UK legislation)
Medicine
Essential medicines are allowed in your hand luggage. If the medicine is a liquid, and the amount of liquid is more than 100ml, please carry either a prescription with your name on it or a letter from a medical professional confirming your need for the medical or dietary liquids.
Lighters
You can only carry 1 lighter on board. You should put it inside a resealable plastic bag (like the ones used for liquids), which you must keep on you throughout the flight. You cannot put it in your hold luggage or put it in your hand luggage after screening.
Frozen items
You cannot usually carry frozen items in your hand luggage, for example liquid, food or ice packs.
Liquids
If you do take liquids in your hand luggage, at most airports:
containers must hold no more than 100ml
containers must be in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag, which holds no more than a litre and measures approximately 20cm x 20cm
contents must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed
the bag must not be knotted or tied at the top
you’re limited to 1 plastic bag per person
you must show the bag at the airport security point
Baby food and baby milk
When travelling with a baby you’re allowed to take enough baby food, baby milk and sterilised water for the journey. There is no legal limit to how much you can take however check with your airport before you travel.
You can carry breast milk in hand luggage even if you’re not travelling with a baby. You cannot carry frozen breast milk in hand luggage.
Electronic cigarettes/vapes
Can be taken in your hand luggage but not in your hold luggage.
Have you ever been stopped at security - and why? Tell us in the comments.
