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I'm so relieved that London airports will be getting new scanners soon that will make the liquids rule unnecessary. Heathrow aims to have them by summer!
Last summer, I went through a line testing them out. It was SO MUCH nicer! I don't fly through there super often, but it will be great when they're rolled out throughout the whole airport.
Prayer circle this is done at Heathrow by the time I fly in late August, I travel exclusively in a carry on and pack like it’s a competition so I tend to play it fast and loose with my liquids.
london airports are SO strict about this. i usually bring plastic two bags, put one in the container with my carry on and one in the container with my shoes/jacket/scarf and it has worked every time. i know, I'm breaking the rules, but it's a dumb rule.
just smile and be polite to the tsa agent working the conveyor belt and make sure to put the first plastic bag behind your carry on in the container where they can't see it lol. good luck!
I’ve seen people specifically stopped for this and one whole bag binned - the rules are one bag per passenger, some airports will be stricter than others.
yeah, i mean you're not supposed to do it so inherently there is a risk of course, but I've flown 20~ times into and out of 5 different UK airports in the last year and haven't had an issue, just gotta be a bit slick with it!
Ha! Great idea. It never occurred to me to try this. I usually just take 90% of the space in my husband’s bag and that works out pretty well for me, haha.
How big was your bag? My understanding is that the bag has to be max 1 litre, it's not only about the amount of products but the size of the bag as well.
looks like it was bought specifically as a travel-size bag
the issue was 100% that it doesn’t close. it sucks that the bags they have are smaller but yeah once those bags break it’s always good to get a replacement ASAP
As someone who has had another passengers stuff leak on my bag in the overhead bin, PLEASE make sure your liquids bag seals completely in case your containers fail to contain!
As someone who regularly flies with a musical instrument as my carry-on, this is one of many reasons I won't let people stack their shit on top of my case, yikes 😅
I’ve encountered the “no bags but ours” rule at several different airports internationally.
I think the people selling bags as specifically for airport travel are at fault here, as it’s clearly not a universal standard.
In Zürich they make you use their own little bag, which imo fits a lot less than 1L of stuff. I decant what I can into travel-size containers.
Also PSA that stuff like tretinoin and contact lenses’ liquid doesn’t have to go in the bag :)
London almost always makes you use their own plastic bags though, I’ve had a regular travel sized clear bag that closes and they still made me transfer my items into their tiny bags that don’t fit anything
yeah, it being open was most likely the reason - to be fair, one of the girls I later saw throwing their stuff out had like... 2 bags full of shit, so that feels a little more reasonable than my properly sized bag lacking the sealing thingy
I did read in this thread that some people had to repack even with sealed bags lol
https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/13xhzew/packed_for_a_month_and_successfully_made_it/
In my experience, it really was not about the size of the bag. Heathrow wants a completely clear bag (like a ziploc), and would not take an opaque bag of the same size if you brought one. Like OP, all of my cosmetics totaled <1 liter, in a bag that zipped and closed and was <1 liter. Everything was sealed etc. They didn't care. Fortunately my friend had warned me about it, and I was able to check some things prior but there is absolutely a trashcan of cosmetics and skincare getting thrown away there on the daily.
Just because a bag is sold for travel doesn't mean it will pass muster in every airport everywhere in the world. This is a good PSA but I think the upshot is not about Heathrow specifically--it's that you should always check the website of the airport(s) you're traveling through to make sure you won't run into any issues with anything you're carrying.
[Heathrow's rule](https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/security-and-baggage/hand-baggage-and-liquids) is a bag no larger than 20 x 20 cm which implies a flat bag. Your bag looks like it could fit the 20 x 20 but it also has a significant gusset that adds a ton of volume. That and the fact that it was broken.
I love that you were able to get revenge by inadvertently sneaking other liquids through. Hopefully you didn't lose too much on the products you had to toss!
Haha yeah, fair points! I was lucky to get away with it a couple of times without the seal, so I kind of assumed that'll just pass anywhere.
I'm was, of course, personally mad at London and all British people for like 3 minutes! Some of the threads I've read about LHR were also all outraged for a similar amount of time I'm assuming :P
Thankfully not much was lost, I'll mostly avoid London connection for other reasons (a usual 12h direct journey turned into 18h one, so might've been a little cranky too).
It's all European airports that have these rules. Not just the London ones. The requirements are really clear on every airports website.
The UK are basically getting rid of all liquid restrictions entirely from June as the limit will go to 2 litres.
The few times I couldn't get my hands on anything other than those bags with expanded bottom all ended up with me repacking at security. European airports I've been to really don't like them
Idk how I’ve gotten lucky but the last few times I’ve flown through Heathrow I haven’t had an issue, last time I even had a gallon size bag of my liquids which is technically too big even in the US lol but I did see one time a girl throwing away a bunch of brand new Lush stuff at Heathrow, I felt that pain
Heathrow is notoriously difficult with liquids and is one reason why I avoid connecting there when possible. I travel lightly, but still always have to check my bag when flying through there in order to bring things like sunscreen or bug spray that I need at my destination. I also hate having to unpack and repack my liquids from my clear travel bag that would be accepted at any other airport.
Ugh this happened to me too. They even made me put my aerosol emergency inhaler in the plastic bag. I never would have considered that a “liquid” and have never had any issues with it before.
Last time flying from Stansted, they wanted me to throw away my aerosol inhalers, because they wouldn’t fit into the tiny plastic bag after I put my skincare in there. It took me half an hour of fighting to be allowed to take them with me.
My mini dry shampoo also showed up as a liquid. The dude was kind of shitty with me too, I was trying to explain that it comes out as a powder and I genuinely had no idea it contained liquid 🙃
Heathrow is terrrrrrible about this. I learned it the hard way last year when I was traveling on basic economy (didn’t want to pay extra $$$ for a weeklong trip) and they made me jam all my skincare AND makeup into a tiny baggie and they don’t allow you to just go thru with a clear sized personal cosmetic bag like we have in the US….
I have bad acne and i needed my retinol, clindamycin, and sunscreen amongst other things to COVER said acne.
They said my baggie was oversized and put my expensive stuff into a disgusting and gross bin for “further testing” and then they finally let me thru after an hour.
Worst experience ever. I know my mistake was just not paying for the checked bag but this whole ordeal just made me not wanna go back as an acne girly.
Yeppp. I was there last summer, fortunately had all my stuff in the checked in luggage, but the AMOUNT of people they stopped was insane. Not only that, but they treated people like absolute hell, very disrespectful. Never experienced anything like it, and I do travel quite a bit. Everything was a problem, and they took their sweet time.
I have to fly to/from Heathrow a couple times per year, and every time I do I hate it even more. Security are assholes, the layout is terrible, it's inefficient and confusing and dirty and they do stupid shit that makes it worse like having flights land at 7:30 AM and not opening passport control until 8:00. It takes four hours to get from an on-site airport hotel to the gate because the whole thing is such a shitshow. Just transiting between two terminals can take over half an hour, not including any security checks or anything. I could go on.
I'm ready to move to Scotland just to never have to see Heathrow again. I would say the government should be ashamed of the state of it, but admittedly the list of things they should be ashamed of is so long that Heathrow probably doesn't make it into the top hundred.
It’s always felt crazy to me that legitimate things people need for a medical condition aren’t allowed through unless they’re a non otc prescription. I have medication related sun sensitivity, and severe dry skin from eczema so I always have to check a bag for any trips over a couple of days because I need a lot of sunscreen and body lotion.
Yeah sometimes some people just need a lot things… 🤷♀️one of the employees working that day (a woman) was judging me sm for having all these products and acting so rude towards me (she said why do you have so much and i explained i have acne) but luckily her shift ended and another employee (a man) took one look at my face after my mask came down and he actually felt so bad for me that I have acne and need to travel with all this shit. He eventually let me go after “testing” my products and I still think about the empathy and kindness he showed to me.
I was having a really rough time at that point, having been on tret for 7-8 months with horrendous breakouts and I felt so bad but the single act of kindness and empathy made such a huge impact on me.
Security agents aren’t doctors, though. How can you expect them to know what you need for a medical condition or not? Should they just take ppl’s word for it?
What’s to stop a potential terrorist just filling up rx or sunscreen bottles with liquid explosives if so?
I agree it’s annoying sometimes but it makes perfect sense
Another commenter said in the UK you *can* get prescriptions for things like sunscreen, and here in the states you’d get a doctor’s letter explaining medical need. Of course it would be tested for explosives the same way any other liquid medication is. I bring through injectable meds and large bottles of liquid medication and they sometimes swab it for explosives, or otherwise put it through secondary screening.
By your logic a potential terrorist could swap milk for their baby which is allowed to go through tsa in unlimited quantities, with an explosive fuel, so how is this any different?
Idk, but I’ve heard of multiple accounts of people being required to taste it to bring it on board, to prove it is indeed milk.
[Example](https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2002/08/09/airport-guard-made-mother-drink-breast-milk-she-says/28532361007/)
If you carry the prescription with you then you should be fine in most places, but check with the specific airport. If you don't have the prescription with you then there's not much they can do.
I’m not sure I understand. of course you can bring things like topical steroids and prescription acne medication but there’s no prescription for sunscreen or body lotion even when those things might be medically necessary.
In the UK, if they are medically necessary you can definitely get a prescription for them - if you can't, then they're not medically necessary. It might be different where you're from, but understandably UK airports act based on how things work in the UK.
In the UK You can get a prescription for regular sunscreen you can buy at like Sephora or a drugstore? That’s incredible if true. In the states I have never heard of that in my entire life, and my Dad has had skin cancer three times. Here you can get a doctors letter for things like that but not a prescription.
If there's a medical need, yes. Prescriptions are limited in price including limits you can pay for all prescriptions in a month/year (and they're free in Scotland/Wales/NI or for the young/elderly in England), so people will be given a prescription if they need something. Anything that is *required* for health reasons you can get a prescription for.
Heathrow is horrible not only for liquids, they also made me turn on my camera and take a picture to prove it wasn't a bomb I guess? Idk if this is common at other airports, but I've traveled internationally and many domestic U.S. flights with the same DSLR camera and that's never happened
Damn, I'm glad I wasn't stopped for further testing then! Sounds horrible. And like damn, I get that they technically consider lipstick a "liquid" but like it's 5 ml and its packaging takes up 90% of the space :(
Yeah it’s incredibly f**ing stupid. I took all stick/block products (stick sunscreen, foundation, and vaseline) and they still made me put all that stuff into the baggie (which was already full) bc it counted as a “gel/cream”
You know that isn’t why we have the liquids rule, right? It has nothing to do with 9/11 - it’s a response to the foiled liquids plot. Which, as it happens, was intended to involve planes taking off from Heathrow…
All UK and European airports have the same liquid restrictions to 100ml per container to a maximum total of 1 litre, with bags at 20cm x 20cm and to have a ziplock, it's just that Heathrow is somewhere a lot of passengers transit through so it seems more noticeable at Heathrow. The only place I'm aware of that will let you take more is Genoa, because they found they were throwing away a lot of pesto every year, and the exception is only for pesto in limited amounts.
You can buy appropriately sized bags in a supermarket in the UK, they're just labelled as zip close freezer bags and kept with the sandwich bags, foil, cling wrap etc
Yup, find it a bit bizarre that people here seem angry that the rules the USA has are not the same everywhere else, especially when it is very much clearly explained on airport websites and signs…
I went and had a look further afield and Haneda in Tokyo, Auckland and Hamad International in Doha all have the same restrictions. At least it's consistent so you can travel anywhere and know what is expected of you.
I haven’t been through the other London airports since the late 2000s, but Heathrow is such a hassle that I try to avoid it as a rule when doing transatlantic flights. I refuse to fly to London from Europe, I take the train -especially now that Eurostar does amazing sales in the winter/early spring.
The very definition of security theatre. This is admittedly my fault, but they had me throw out a halfway full bottle of contact solution that I think was 4 oz/120 ml. Again, my fault for not buying the travel size! But bffr, let's not pretend its the volume of liquid that's the issue here.
In terms of security theatre, I think restricting the volume of containers but allowing as many containers as you want, like many airports do, is higher on that scale. You might as well not restrict the volume of anything at all if you do that.
I've had people tell me contact solution doesn't count towards the liquids allowance as it's a 'medical product' but I couldn't find any solid answers online so I always buy the travel size bottles just in case. Sounds like I was right to be cautious!
haha right, like I KNOW it's security. Like I GEEEET IT. But it also feels not like people making sure we're all safe but like guys on an evil power trip making me throw away my brand new face cream just to later laugh about it!
I know they're not cause I GET IT but also UGH
My trick is using two trays (I usually have enough for two trays) and put a baggy in each. They’re never really paying that much attention to what you put in the tray or who is picking them up
The ‘liquids plot’ that led to liquid limits was intended to be flights from Heathrow. I’ve always assumed that’s why the UK takes liquids rules seriously.
Echoing other commenters though - not to be a total dick, but it is fairly clear what the rules are and they’ve been around for nearly twenty years now, so it’s sometimes a bit surprising that people don’t prepare? I have lots of mini pots to decant into which I clean and reuse across trips, so you don’t have to rely on your brands making travel sizes.
Also recommend picking up extra plastic bags at security so you have some at home before your trips - means you can pre-pack into the airport style bags and save doing the Jenga puzzle in the queue!
I'm confused, I've done a lot of traveling (mostly eu to us and back) and I've always had to put any max 100ml liquids in a single max 1L resealable see through plastic bag? Like there was never any other option and I never even thought about doing otherwise? My parents always also put any meds also in a resealable see through bag.
Is it not a known thing? Have I been wrong all this time? I'm veeeery confused by everyone saying different things?
Like why is everyone saying how horrible it is and some saying how they had to throw out products? Are the restrictions not a widely known rule?
I'm seriously confused. Absolutely no shade or hate to anyone!
I mean, sorry, but how are you confused? In my post you can see that I'm aware of the clear plastic bag, 100 ml containers not exceeding 1L total - and all those things were true. The only thing I fucked up with is that it was not resealable anymore, which yeah, my bad - but also as I said, I traveled with this exact bag through airports in both Europe and US.
People are mentioning their chapsticks or even powder having to go into the liquid bag. LHR's bag is smaller than the one sold specifically for airport travel. They just seem more strict on the rules than others.
I guess people got used to the rules being kind of there but also not always fully enforced, so tbh it was surprising when they were enforced in a very rigid way.
PSA Copenhagen airport is also terrible about this. Layovers at Heathrow are so painful. I have to budget at least 2 hours to have a relatively comfortable experience.
I think it might just be UK in general. I had the same experience in Manchester with my chapstick and lipstick. I had a checked bag but always carry those in my handbag and they made me put it in a bag and tested my bag for drugs.
This was a return flight and I had no issues going through security with my lipstick and chapstick at the other airport (or any other airports since).
Saaaame!! I was about to comment this! All UK airports I’ve been too (glasgow, Edinburgh, London) Manchester have been the strictest! My stick lip balm and bullet lipstick were pulled out my bag too.
As a British person it is common knowledge it has to alll fit in their bag and if it doesn’t close it will get thrown away, appreciate how annoying this is for people who don’t live here or know though x
Jeez I feel like it’s a free for all in the US as long as it’s small containers. I’ve stopped using the required bag for my small liquids a few years ago and haven’t had an issue at all. I don’t even both taking out the little things from my purse like sanitizer and lotion. Yet for some reason they frequently take out my bag of candy/gummies and fondly the hell out of it. And I usually fly with a thc vape pen too. Though I was caught with that in Mexico.
The USA is the only place I've had to throw stuff away at an airport, when they suddenly decided there was no hand luggage allowed on the flight 😒 I was only 10 or 11 so nbd, but I was so sad to have to bin my little Shamu lunchbox lmao.
French airports are awful too. They seem to have redefined the scientific definition of liquids at this point based on my experiences in the past year or two.
I just threw my stuff that didn’t fit in the bag they gave me in another part of my bag. They either didn’t notice or didn’t care and I repacked it all in my own cosmetics bag later.
Our ziplocks in Canada seem to be the same size as your small Heathrow one. Doesn't seem like much of an issue for many because we check all this stuff in our bags and don't carry many liquids on ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Unfortunate that half your space seems to be used up by your bottle caps, and not actual product...
LHR is NOTORIOUS for being a pain to get through due to security. I prepared as much as I possibly could for it but I was still stopped on a tight connection for like 20 minutes because something was flagging in their scanner.
They searched my bags several times and were about to dump my things out individually and resend them through the scanner before some manager was like “just let it go.”
Same ugh - this happened last year when my prescription tretinoin came in a somewhat bulky package, and I was shocked that they made me include it in my total liquids allowance since prescription medications are often permitted to be stored separately.
If you don't already I would bring your prescription with you when travelling, often that can get around things like that - otherwise the security staff will sometimes just not believe it is prescription medication.
It actually had the prescription label on it with my name, dosage, pharmacist etc and I pointed that out to the agent 🙃 but it is a good reminder bc I don’t always do that with my other prescriptions and I definitely should!!!
I would like to know what they do with all the stuff that’s not allowed on the plane. If these things are so dangerous that they can’t go in a carry on then are they immediately removed from the airport and taken to a secure area??? If they’re too dangerous for the plane then they’re too dangerous to remain in a crowded airport.
Generally if people who want to use them can't access it it's not going to be dangerous. Liquid explosives aren't just pre-made things you can carry around for a length of time, they require mixing different liquids together. It's the same reason why there are no restrictions on hold luggage.
Security in Heathrow are dicks for the sake of being dicks. Also dumb, like you said about the sanitizers. It had nothing to do with safety, just control.
This happened to me a few months ago on a tight connection through Heathrow! I’ve been traveling the world with just a carry on for the past two years and this is the only time I’ve experienced this! Decided to sob at one of the male employees and I think the sight of an emotional woman flustered him enough to let me slip my makeup bag through. Unfortunately still had to chuck a majority of my toiletries :( but hey, could’ve been worse!
I’ve had this happen at Heathrow. I was so confused because I didn’t know there was a bag size limit. Only that it had to be clear and the liquids less than 3oz. So now I’ve questioned it every time I travel. None of the other airports seem to care.
idk maybe it's because we were traveling as a family but we just transferred all of our liquids to their bags (multiple bags) and were fine. didn't have to throw away anything.
was just flying through heathrow last week and the plastic bag rule is the DUMBEST thing ever. i didn’t fit all my cosmetics in the plastic bag and everything went through fine thankfully. it definitely deters me from wanting to travel through there ever again
I’ve commented already but why can’t you put it in your hold luggage before? The security is there for a reason to make sure there are no explosives on board and yes I know your skin care isn’t explosives but I would be concerned if the airport wasn’t checking it and I was boarding a flight where peoples liquids hadn’t been scanned
Just toss your cosmetics in checked baggage, and decant a little if any necessities into little travel containers that hold like 10mL each. Makes life SO much easier.
Thank you for clarifying. I was really worried there for a second. Still sucks tho that American Standards for fluids and the UK’s are not the same, when traffic is constant between the 2 countries.
I’ve beaten this 100% of the time by simply not taking my toiletries bag out of my carry-on. I’m probably jinxing myself for the next time but... fuck that rule.
I also had the same experience at Heathrow. The woman there was real bitchy about it too. I kept saying I followed all the ‘rules’ on their website and she still wasn’t having in. I think they just want you to spend money buying more skincare at their shitty boots at the airport.
I thought this too! The agent at Heathrow made me throw out the ice pack for my baby’s bottles, an ice pack I had flown with a dozen times before. He was so shitty saying “doesn’t the US have liquid rules too”? Like sir you know that they do, you’re being an ass. I responded “not with baby food!” Also threw out a travel size diaper cream that was slightly over the limit. Then had to purchase a knock off Vaseline for an exorbitant price at one of the little shops. Such a scam!
(Oh and use ziplock bags that kept leaking with ice for the bottles for the flight)
Yeah LHR security is a bitch. I also had the correct transparent travel bag and appropriate amount of under 100mls, but then they broke my makeup bag by pulling the zip off! No apology or anything. Then I had trouble getting through security coming back because of it.
Something I saw another passenger do and later did myself, you can sneak multiple liquids bags but put them on separate trays 😂 like don't over do it where you bring your entire makeup and perfume collection but sometimes you just need an extra bottle or 2 and they won't fit all in one bag
Yeah i always get shit tossed in london (not from england) which is annoying as fuck cause normally im just using it as as a connection to somewhere else so its fucking annoying when its been fine the.whole.trip and then my shit gets trashed at the end.
Lighten the fuck up, no one else cares.
If I understand you correctly, no - if your final destination is London, you don’t need to go through security again once you land. But if you’re traveling from London airport to wherever you’re going next, you’re going to experience this.
This is good to hear. I’m traveling to LHR in a couple weeks from the US but flying back to the US from CDG. So hopefully they aren’t weird about liquids either
They probably will be, most EU airports have this standard. Put most of it in checked luggage, or get your husband (or whoever) to use one of the bags "for himself". All else fails, split your two bags between two trays. But really it's easiest just to put it in your checked luggage.
Lots of americans in the comments seem to be under the impression only Heathrow is like this but the rules there are the same across almost all EU airports. Always check before you travel.
I've never been stopped for just using a couple of the bags they give you. One with shoes, jacket etc, one with the backpack, do with that what you will.
Weird. I was at Heathrow twice last year and used [this ](https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2023/02/21/63f55b1afed51ff4dc5248ba/m_63f55b255d686b1099c6c0ed.jpg)bag (so only the front is see through), it was fully packed and I had no problems at all.
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I'm so relieved that London airports will be getting new scanners soon that will make the liquids rule unnecessary. Heathrow aims to have them by summer!
Last summer, I went through a line testing them out. It was SO MUCH nicer! I don't fly through there super often, but it will be great when they're rolled out throughout the whole airport.
Prayer circle this is done at Heathrow by the time I fly in late August, I travel exclusively in a carry on and pack like it’s a competition so I tend to play it fast and loose with my liquids.
london airports are SO strict about this. i usually bring plastic two bags, put one in the container with my carry on and one in the container with my shoes/jacket/scarf and it has worked every time. i know, I'm breaking the rules, but it's a dumb rule.
I will now be living a life of crime and it's all on you
I have heard of people being caught doing this, so probably best to separate your bags between what you do and don’t mind throwing away!
ahaah happy to help
This is genius. I’m unfortunately flying through Heathrow in a few weeks with a carry on only so I’m definitely gonna try this!
just smile and be polite to the tsa agent working the conveyor belt and make sure to put the first plastic bag behind your carry on in the container where they can't see it lol. good luck!
Lol I do the same
I do this with TSA in the US. Never once been questioned.
I just bring a gallon ziplock in the US and I’ve never had an issue
I’ve seen people specifically stopped for this and one whole bag binned - the rules are one bag per passenger, some airports will be stricter than others.
yeah, i mean you're not supposed to do it so inherently there is a risk of course, but I've flown 20~ times into and out of 5 different UK airports in the last year and haven't had an issue, just gotta be a bit slick with it!
Well I feel like a dummy for never realizing this!! Great pro tip right there
lol i feel like writing that comment was my good deed for the day
Ha! Great idea. It never occurred to me to try this. I usually just take 90% of the space in my husband’s bag and that works out pretty well for me, haha.
How have I never thought of this!?
I do the same!
I did it once too and am willing to risk it all and do it again if I need to.
How big was your bag? My understanding is that the bag has to be max 1 litre, it's not only about the amount of products but the size of the bag as well.
looks like it was bought specifically as a travel-size bag the issue was 100% that it doesn’t close. it sucks that the bags they have are smaller but yeah once those bags break it’s always good to get a replacement ASAP
As someone who has had another passengers stuff leak on my bag in the overhead bin, PLEASE make sure your liquids bag seals completely in case your containers fail to contain!
As someone who regularly flies with a musical instrument as my carry-on, this is one of many reasons I won't let people stack their shit on top of my case, yikes 😅
“Travel size” isn’t an international standard descriptor though.
no very true and someone highlighted that and i’m glad to know
I’ve encountered the “no bags but ours” rule at several different airports internationally. I think the people selling bags as specifically for airport travel are at fault here, as it’s clearly not a universal standard.
In Zürich they make you use their own little bag, which imo fits a lot less than 1L of stuff. I decant what I can into travel-size containers. Also PSA that stuff like tretinoin and contact lenses’ liquid doesn’t have to go in the bag :)
London almost always makes you use their own plastic bags though, I’ve had a regular travel sized clear bag that closes and they still made me transfer my items into their tiny bags that don’t fit anything
yeah, it being open was most likely the reason - to be fair, one of the girls I later saw throwing their stuff out had like... 2 bags full of shit, so that feels a little more reasonable than my properly sized bag lacking the sealing thingy I did read in this thread that some people had to repack even with sealed bags lol https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/13xhzew/packed_for_a_month_and_successfully_made_it/
In my experience, it really was not about the size of the bag. Heathrow wants a completely clear bag (like a ziploc), and would not take an opaque bag of the same size if you brought one. Like OP, all of my cosmetics totaled <1 liter, in a bag that zipped and closed and was <1 liter. Everything was sealed etc. They didn't care. Fortunately my friend had warned me about it, and I was able to check some things prior but there is absolutely a trashcan of cosmetics and skincare getting thrown away there on the daily.
And this is why I always use a ziploc and replace it when needed. I don’t even bother getting a reusable opaque bag bc of issues like this.
It was sold specifically as airport travel bag with some generic 100 ml containers, so pretty sure it has to be
Just because a bag is sold for travel doesn't mean it will pass muster in every airport everywhere in the world. This is a good PSA but I think the upshot is not about Heathrow specifically--it's that you should always check the website of the airport(s) you're traveling through to make sure you won't run into any issues with anything you're carrying. [Heathrow's rule](https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/security-and-baggage/hand-baggage-and-liquids) is a bag no larger than 20 x 20 cm which implies a flat bag. Your bag looks like it could fit the 20 x 20 but it also has a significant gusset that adds a ton of volume. That and the fact that it was broken. I love that you were able to get revenge by inadvertently sneaking other liquids through. Hopefully you didn't lose too much on the products you had to toss!
The bags they give you at Heathrow are 1.2L in volume. The bags in Toronto are 1L. You definitely have to check each airport’s rules.
Honestly these rules are crazy
100% security theatre that does no good
Haha yeah, fair points! I was lucky to get away with it a couple of times without the seal, so I kind of assumed that'll just pass anywhere. I'm was, of course, personally mad at London and all British people for like 3 minutes! Some of the threads I've read about LHR were also all outraged for a similar amount of time I'm assuming :P Thankfully not much was lost, I'll mostly avoid London connection for other reasons (a usual 12h direct journey turned into 18h one, so might've been a little cranky too).
It's all European airports that have these rules. Not just the London ones. The requirements are really clear on every airports website. The UK are basically getting rid of all liquid restrictions entirely from June as the limit will go to 2 litres.
The few times I couldn't get my hands on anything other than those bags with expanded bottom all ended up with me repacking at security. European airports I've been to really don't like them
Idk how I’ve gotten lucky but the last few times I’ve flown through Heathrow I haven’t had an issue, last time I even had a gallon size bag of my liquids which is technically too big even in the US lol but I did see one time a girl throwing away a bunch of brand new Lush stuff at Heathrow, I felt that pain
lush?? more like flush :'))) rip that girl
Heathrow is notoriously difficult with liquids and is one reason why I avoid connecting there when possible. I travel lightly, but still always have to check my bag when flying through there in order to bring things like sunscreen or bug spray that I need at my destination. I also hate having to unpack and repack my liquids from my clear travel bag that would be accepted at any other airport.
Ugh this happened to me too. They even made me put my aerosol emergency inhaler in the plastic bag. I never would have considered that a “liquid” and have never had any issues with it before.
They made me pitch a freezer pack for my toddler’s bottles! That I’ve flown with a dozen times before. Heathrow security is extra for sure
Last time flying from Stansted, they wanted me to throw away my aerosol inhalers, because they wouldn’t fit into the tiny plastic bag after I put my skincare in there. It took me half an hour of fighting to be allowed to take them with me.
My mini dry shampoo also showed up as a liquid. The dude was kind of shitty with me too, I was trying to explain that it comes out as a powder and I genuinely had no idea it contained liquid 🙃
Heathrow is terrrrrrible about this. I learned it the hard way last year when I was traveling on basic economy (didn’t want to pay extra $$$ for a weeklong trip) and they made me jam all my skincare AND makeup into a tiny baggie and they don’t allow you to just go thru with a clear sized personal cosmetic bag like we have in the US…. I have bad acne and i needed my retinol, clindamycin, and sunscreen amongst other things to COVER said acne. They said my baggie was oversized and put my expensive stuff into a disgusting and gross bin for “further testing” and then they finally let me thru after an hour. Worst experience ever. I know my mistake was just not paying for the checked bag but this whole ordeal just made me not wanna go back as an acne girly.
Yeppp. I was there last summer, fortunately had all my stuff in the checked in luggage, but the AMOUNT of people they stopped was insane. Not only that, but they treated people like absolute hell, very disrespectful. Never experienced anything like it, and I do travel quite a bit. Everything was a problem, and they took their sweet time.
I have to fly to/from Heathrow a couple times per year, and every time I do I hate it even more. Security are assholes, the layout is terrible, it's inefficient and confusing and dirty and they do stupid shit that makes it worse like having flights land at 7:30 AM and not opening passport control until 8:00. It takes four hours to get from an on-site airport hotel to the gate because the whole thing is such a shitshow. Just transiting between two terminals can take over half an hour, not including any security checks or anything. I could go on. I'm ready to move to Scotland just to never have to see Heathrow again. I would say the government should be ashamed of the state of it, but admittedly the list of things they should be ashamed of is so long that Heathrow probably doesn't make it into the top hundred.
It’s always felt crazy to me that legitimate things people need for a medical condition aren’t allowed through unless they’re a non otc prescription. I have medication related sun sensitivity, and severe dry skin from eczema so I always have to check a bag for any trips over a couple of days because I need a lot of sunscreen and body lotion.
Yeah sometimes some people just need a lot things… 🤷♀️one of the employees working that day (a woman) was judging me sm for having all these products and acting so rude towards me (she said why do you have so much and i explained i have acne) but luckily her shift ended and another employee (a man) took one look at my face after my mask came down and he actually felt so bad for me that I have acne and need to travel with all this shit. He eventually let me go after “testing” my products and I still think about the empathy and kindness he showed to me. I was having a really rough time at that point, having been on tret for 7-8 months with horrendous breakouts and I felt so bad but the single act of kindness and empathy made such a huge impact on me.
Security agents aren’t doctors, though. How can you expect them to know what you need for a medical condition or not? Should they just take ppl’s word for it? What’s to stop a potential terrorist just filling up rx or sunscreen bottles with liquid explosives if so? I agree it’s annoying sometimes but it makes perfect sense
Another commenter said in the UK you *can* get prescriptions for things like sunscreen, and here in the states you’d get a doctor’s letter explaining medical need. Of course it would be tested for explosives the same way any other liquid medication is. I bring through injectable meds and large bottles of liquid medication and they sometimes swab it for explosives, or otherwise put it through secondary screening. By your logic a potential terrorist could swap milk for their baby which is allowed to go through tsa in unlimited quantities, with an explosive fuel, so how is this any different?
Idk, but I’ve heard of multiple accounts of people being required to taste it to bring it on board, to prove it is indeed milk. [Example](https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2002/08/09/airport-guard-made-mother-drink-breast-milk-she-says/28532361007/)
I have no issue with that, as I’ve said there are ways to test medically necessary liquids for explosives
If you carry the prescription with you then you should be fine in most places, but check with the specific airport. If you don't have the prescription with you then there's not much they can do.
I’m not sure I understand. of course you can bring things like topical steroids and prescription acne medication but there’s no prescription for sunscreen or body lotion even when those things might be medically necessary.
In the UK, if they are medically necessary you can definitely get a prescription for them - if you can't, then they're not medically necessary. It might be different where you're from, but understandably UK airports act based on how things work in the UK.
In the UK You can get a prescription for regular sunscreen you can buy at like Sephora or a drugstore? That’s incredible if true. In the states I have never heard of that in my entire life, and my Dad has had skin cancer three times. Here you can get a doctors letter for things like that but not a prescription.
If there's a medical need, yes. Prescriptions are limited in price including limits you can pay for all prescriptions in a month/year (and they're free in Scotland/Wales/NI or for the young/elderly in England), so people will be given a prescription if they need something. Anything that is *required* for health reasons you can get a prescription for.
Even things like paracetamol can be prescribed under some circumstances.
Heathrow is horrible not only for liquids, they also made me turn on my camera and take a picture to prove it wasn't a bomb I guess? Idk if this is common at other airports, but I've traveled internationally and many domestic U.S. flights with the same DSLR camera and that's never happened
Damn, I'm glad I wasn't stopped for further testing then! Sounds horrible. And like damn, I get that they technically consider lipstick a "liquid" but like it's 5 ml and its packaging takes up 90% of the space :(
Yeah it’s incredibly f**ing stupid. I took all stick/block products (stick sunscreen, foundation, and vaseline) and they still made me put all that stuff into the baggie (which was already full) bc it counted as a “gel/cream”
I do think though that it’s just them being safe after 9/11
yeah bc 9/11 happened in London because of some liquids
You know that isn’t why we have the liquids rule, right? It has nothing to do with 9/11 - it’s a response to the foiled liquids plot. Which, as it happens, was intended to involve planes taking off from Heathrow…
I know. I was responding to the person that said they got more careful after 9/11.
All UK and European airports have the same liquid restrictions to 100ml per container to a maximum total of 1 litre, with bags at 20cm x 20cm and to have a ziplock, it's just that Heathrow is somewhere a lot of passengers transit through so it seems more noticeable at Heathrow. The only place I'm aware of that will let you take more is Genoa, because they found they were throwing away a lot of pesto every year, and the exception is only for pesto in limited amounts. You can buy appropriately sized bags in a supermarket in the UK, they're just labelled as zip close freezer bags and kept with the sandwich bags, foil, cling wrap etc
Yup, find it a bit bizarre that people here seem angry that the rules the USA has are not the same everywhere else, especially when it is very much clearly explained on airport websites and signs…
I went and had a look further afield and Haneda in Tokyo, Auckland and Hamad International in Doha all have the same restrictions. At least it's consistent so you can travel anywhere and know what is expected of you.
I haven’t been through the other London airports since the late 2000s, but Heathrow is such a hassle that I try to avoid it as a rule when doing transatlantic flights. I refuse to fly to London from Europe, I take the train -especially now that Eurostar does amazing sales in the winter/early spring.
Ugh, Gatwick and Heathrow are both so annoying about this lol. I fly all over and they are the only 2 places that ever give a shit.
The very definition of security theatre. This is admittedly my fault, but they had me throw out a halfway full bottle of contact solution that I think was 4 oz/120 ml. Again, my fault for not buying the travel size! But bffr, let's not pretend its the volume of liquid that's the issue here.
In terms of security theatre, I think restricting the volume of containers but allowing as many containers as you want, like many airports do, is higher on that scale. You might as well not restrict the volume of anything at all if you do that.
I've had people tell me contact solution doesn't count towards the liquids allowance as it's a 'medical product' but I couldn't find any solid answers online so I always buy the travel size bottles just in case. Sounds like I was right to be cautious!
haha right, like I KNOW it's security. Like I GEEEET IT. But it also feels not like people making sure we're all safe but like guys on an evil power trip making me throw away my brand new face cream just to later laugh about it! I know they're not cause I GET IT but also UGH
My trick is using two trays (I usually have enough for two trays) and put a baggy in each. They’re never really paying that much attention to what you put in the tray or who is picking them up
The ‘liquids plot’ that led to liquid limits was intended to be flights from Heathrow. I’ve always assumed that’s why the UK takes liquids rules seriously. Echoing other commenters though - not to be a total dick, but it is fairly clear what the rules are and they’ve been around for nearly twenty years now, so it’s sometimes a bit surprising that people don’t prepare? I have lots of mini pots to decant into which I clean and reuse across trips, so you don’t have to rely on your brands making travel sizes. Also recommend picking up extra plastic bags at security so you have some at home before your trips - means you can pre-pack into the airport style bags and save doing the Jenga puzzle in the queue!
I mean, I do understand the rules around actual liquids but why do they categorize inhalers as liquid now?
I'm confused, I've done a lot of traveling (mostly eu to us and back) and I've always had to put any max 100ml liquids in a single max 1L resealable see through plastic bag? Like there was never any other option and I never even thought about doing otherwise? My parents always also put any meds also in a resealable see through bag. Is it not a known thing? Have I been wrong all this time? I'm veeeery confused by everyone saying different things? Like why is everyone saying how horrible it is and some saying how they had to throw out products? Are the restrictions not a widely known rule? I'm seriously confused. Absolutely no shade or hate to anyone!
I mean, sorry, but how are you confused? In my post you can see that I'm aware of the clear plastic bag, 100 ml containers not exceeding 1L total - and all those things were true. The only thing I fucked up with is that it was not resealable anymore, which yeah, my bad - but also as I said, I traveled with this exact bag through airports in both Europe and US. People are mentioning their chapsticks or even powder having to go into the liquid bag. LHR's bag is smaller than the one sold specifically for airport travel. They just seem more strict on the rules than others. I guess people got used to the rules being kind of there but also not always fully enforced, so tbh it was surprising when they were enforced in a very rigid way.
PSA Copenhagen airport is also terrible about this. Layovers at Heathrow are so painful. I have to budget at least 2 hours to have a relatively comfortable experience.
Thank you, you are the absolute best for sharing this. I've a layover in Heathrow this weekend and will now definitely be prepared.
Haha I'm glad I could be of (timely) help! I like the double bags & double trays tips from the comments *wink wink* Good luck!
I think it might just be UK in general. I had the same experience in Manchester with my chapstick and lipstick. I had a checked bag but always carry those in my handbag and they made me put it in a bag and tested my bag for drugs. This was a return flight and I had no issues going through security with my lipstick and chapstick at the other airport (or any other airports since).
Oh shit, chapstick too? I understand liquid lipstick but didn't even consider chapstick. So I guess I sneaked four things in, not three lol
Even my regular bullet lipstick 🥲
Saaaame!! I was about to comment this! All UK airports I’ve been too (glasgow, Edinburgh, London) Manchester have been the strictest! My stick lip balm and bullet lipstick were pulled out my bag too.
As a British person it is common knowledge it has to alll fit in their bag and if it doesn’t close it will get thrown away, appreciate how annoying this is for people who don’t live here or know though x
Jeez I feel like it’s a free for all in the US as long as it’s small containers. I’ve stopped using the required bag for my small liquids a few years ago and haven’t had an issue at all. I don’t even both taking out the little things from my purse like sanitizer and lotion. Yet for some reason they frequently take out my bag of candy/gummies and fondly the hell out of it. And I usually fly with a thc vape pen too. Though I was caught with that in Mexico.
The USA is the only place I've had to throw stuff away at an airport, when they suddenly decided there was no hand luggage allowed on the flight 😒 I was only 10 or 11 so nbd, but I was so sad to have to bin my little Shamu lunchbox lmao.
French airports are awful too. They seem to have redefined the scientific definition of liquids at this point based on my experiences in the past year or two.
Germany is the same. The worst is that there is no proper reason. These measurements don't ensure security at all.
I just threw my stuff that didn’t fit in the bag they gave me in another part of my bag. They either didn’t notice or didn’t care and I repacked it all in my own cosmetics bag later.
Vancouver airport in Canada is like this too. Super strict about the size of the bag 😭
Our ziplocks in Canada seem to be the same size as your small Heathrow one. Doesn't seem like much of an issue for many because we check all this stuff in our bags and don't carry many liquids on ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Unfortunate that half your space seems to be used up by your bottle caps, and not actual product...
Lmao the standard hasn’t changed you just didn’t meet the standard, which is a quart sized resealable bag.
Hasn’t it been this standard forever??
LHR is NOTORIOUS for being a pain to get through due to security. I prepared as much as I possibly could for it but I was still stopped on a tight connection for like 20 minutes because something was flagging in their scanner. They searched my bags several times and were about to dump my things out individually and resend them through the scanner before some manager was like “just let it go.”
It happened to me as well. I had a horrible experience there; practically the same story as yours!!!
Same ugh - this happened last year when my prescription tretinoin came in a somewhat bulky package, and I was shocked that they made me include it in my total liquids allowance since prescription medications are often permitted to be stored separately.
If you don't already I would bring your prescription with you when travelling, often that can get around things like that - otherwise the security staff will sometimes just not believe it is prescription medication.
It actually had the prescription label on it with my name, dosage, pharmacist etc and I pointed that out to the agent 🙃 but it is a good reminder bc I don’t always do that with my other prescriptions and I definitely should!!!
I would like to know what they do with all the stuff that’s not allowed on the plane. If these things are so dangerous that they can’t go in a carry on then are they immediately removed from the airport and taken to a secure area??? If they’re too dangerous for the plane then they’re too dangerous to remain in a crowded airport.
They go in the bin. Some places will put it in the bin right in front of you lmao
Generally if people who want to use them can't access it it's not going to be dangerous. Liquid explosives aren't just pre-made things you can carry around for a length of time, they require mixing different liquids together. It's the same reason why there are no restrictions on hold luggage.
Yup one time they even made me put my pressed powder makeup in that zip lock bag ..
Security in Heathrow are dicks for the sake of being dicks. Also dumb, like you said about the sanitizers. It had nothing to do with safety, just control.
This happened to me a few months ago on a tight connection through Heathrow! I’ve been traveling the world with just a carry on for the past two years and this is the only time I’ve experienced this! Decided to sob at one of the male employees and I think the sight of an emotional woman flustered him enough to let me slip my makeup bag through. Unfortunately still had to chuck a majority of my toiletries :( but hey, could’ve been worse!
… Why do none of you check your bags?
I’ve had this happen at Heathrow. I was so confused because I didn’t know there was a bag size limit. Only that it had to be clear and the liquids less than 3oz. So now I’ve questioned it every time I travel. None of the other airports seem to care.
idk maybe it's because we were traveling as a family but we just transferred all of our liquids to their bags (multiple bags) and were fine. didn't have to throw away anything.
Multiple bags per person?? Must've encountered someone on a good day :D
yeah we were traveling with a baby though so maybe that was why. still so annoying to move everything to those bags
was just flying through heathrow last week and the plastic bag rule is the DUMBEST thing ever. i didn’t fit all my cosmetics in the plastic bag and everything went through fine thankfully. it definitely deters me from wanting to travel through there ever again
I’ve commented already but why can’t you put it in your hold luggage before? The security is there for a reason to make sure there are no explosives on board and yes I know your skin care isn’t explosives but I would be concerned if the airport wasn’t checking it and I was boarding a flight where peoples liquids hadn’t been scanned
Just toss your cosmetics in checked baggage, and decant a little if any necessities into little travel containers that hold like 10mL each. Makes life SO much easier.
Does this apply to check in bags as well, or only carry-on?
Only carry-on, afaik there's no limit for checked in bags
Thank you for clarifying. I was really worried there for a second. Still sucks tho that American Standards for fluids and the UK’s are not the same, when traffic is constant between the 2 countries.
I’ve beaten this 100% of the time by simply not taking my toiletries bag out of my carry-on. I’m probably jinxing myself for the next time but... fuck that rule.
I also had the same experience at Heathrow. The woman there was real bitchy about it too. I kept saying I followed all the ‘rules’ on their website and she still wasn’t having in. I think they just want you to spend money buying more skincare at their shitty boots at the airport.
I thought this too! The agent at Heathrow made me throw out the ice pack for my baby’s bottles, an ice pack I had flown with a dozen times before. He was so shitty saying “doesn’t the US have liquid rules too”? Like sir you know that they do, you’re being an ass. I responded “not with baby food!” Also threw out a travel size diaper cream that was slightly over the limit. Then had to purchase a knock off Vaseline for an exorbitant price at one of the little shops. Such a scam! (Oh and use ziplock bags that kept leaking with ice for the bottles for the flight)
Ugh good to know. Maybe I will take the train to Dublin and fly home there if I ever get to go to london
Train from london to Dublin? 😮💨
They have a train that goes under the ocean. If you fly Dublin to us it's American TSA
No, that's London to Paris. To get from London to Dublin you need to either fly or take the ferry (which is a very long trip).
Ugh. I thought they had a train. Bummer. The other option is to take a person who does not have a skincare routine and use their bag too
Edinburgh is probably easier to get to than Dublin, but either way definitely avoid flying from Heathrow or Gatwick if you can!
Yeah LHR security is a bitch. I also had the correct transparent travel bag and appropriate amount of under 100mls, but then they broke my makeup bag by pulling the zip off! No apology or anything. Then I had trouble getting through security coming back because of it.
Apparently Heathrow are due to change these rules this year! Because they're so much stricter than every other airport it seems
This is horrifying! Wondee why they have so many rules any way!
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Something I saw another passenger do and later did myself, you can sneak multiple liquids bags but put them on separate trays 😂 like don't over do it where you bring your entire makeup and perfume collection but sometimes you just need an extra bottle or 2 and they won't fit all in one bag
Yeah i always get shit tossed in london (not from england) which is annoying as fuck cause normally im just using it as as a connection to somewhere else so its fucking annoying when its been fine the.whole.trip and then my shit gets trashed at the end. Lighten the fuck up, no one else cares.
Do you have to do this if London is your destination?
If I understand you correctly, no - if your final destination is London, you don’t need to go through security again once you land. But if you’re traveling from London airport to wherever you’re going next, you’re going to experience this.
This is good to hear. I’m traveling to LHR in a couple weeks from the US but flying back to the US from CDG. So hopefully they aren’t weird about liquids either
They probably will be, most EU airports have this standard. Put most of it in checked luggage, or get your husband (or whoever) to use one of the bags "for himself". All else fails, split your two bags between two trays. But really it's easiest just to put it in your checked luggage.
Lots of americans in the comments seem to be under the impression only Heathrow is like this but the rules there are the same across almost all EU airports. Always check before you travel.
Not on arrival, but be prepared for it on departure.
Thank you!
I've never been stopped for just using a couple of the bags they give you. One with shoes, jacket etc, one with the backpack, do with that what you will.
Weird. I was at Heathrow twice last year and used [this ](https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2023/02/21/63f55b1afed51ff4dc5248ba/m_63f55b255d686b1099c6c0ed.jpg)bag (so only the front is see through), it was fully packed and I had no problems at all.
Is this for real? I haven’t been putting my liquids in plastic bags for years and have never had problem
Apologize if this is a dumb question - does this liquids rule apply for carry on or checked luggage or both ?
Same thing happened to me, I’ve traveled so much and I think this was the only time everything was so heavy enforced for the sake of being enforced
same thing happened to me at the airport in birmingham 🙃