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Britain sees security improvements, while the U.S. languishes. Or worse?:

Granted, they’re just rumors, but if they’re even close to true, look out: A FlyerTalk message board offers a frightening glimpse into the thinking of TSA supervisors on the future of airport safety. Some of the proposals supposedly under discussion — and again, this is rumor, not fact — include:

1) A relaxation of carry-on liquid rules (yay!) BUT a prohibition on liquids in checked baggage. Why? Terrorists could allegedly construct containers that mix explosives automatically in the cargo hold, causing fire or worse.
2) A limit of one checked bag per passenger. TSA is having a hard time keeping up with the increase in checked bags, so they’d like to lighten their load. (Airlines might not object to this…)
3) A prohibition on entering security more than two hours before your flight. (I don’t see this happening.)
4) A ban on printing boarding passes more than three hours before your flight, or a ban on printing connecting boarding passes at the time of check-in. Online check-in would be nixed. (What would this solve?? Airlines would have a fit.)

Again, these are rumored proposals, not policy, and they’re worth what you just paid for them.

Over in the UK, the Times of London reports that Britain’s restrictions on carry-on bags will be changed soon, allowing for “normal” sized carry-ons instead of just the small briefcase-sized bags. (Yay.) Liquids will still be banned. (Boo.) Still, full-size carry-ons are good news for travelers.

However, kicking passengers while they’re down, discount carriers EasyJet and Ryanair are raising their fees for checked luggage.:

EasyJet is to start charging passengers booking from September 1 if they check in more than one bag. The fee will be £5 if paid online or £10 at the airport. The airline said the charge was to relieve pressure on check-in staff and to encourage people to travel light. The allowance for checked-in baggage remains 20kg, as does the excess charge of £5 per kilo, regardless of the number of bags checked in. Ryanair is to raise charges from September 1. Currently, every item checked in is charged at £2.50 for those who book and £5 if passengers pay at the airport. These fees will rise to £3.50 and £7 respectively. The airline has an excess baggage charge of £5.50 per kilo and, from November 1, the allowance per person will drop from 20kg to 15kg.

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tags: travel | airport security | Easyjet | Ryanair | TSA