travelnews: Airline Security

TSA EASES SOME CARRY-ON BAGGAGE RULES;

REQUIRES ALL PASSENGERS TO REMOVE SHOES DURING SECURITY CHECKS

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced new rules Sunday giving airline passengers permission to carry up to four ounces of liquid nonprescription medicine. TSA had previously banned all liquid medications.

TSA also said all passengers will be instructed to remove their shoes during security checks. The shoes have to be placed on an X-ray belt for screening before passengers can put them back on. Until now, the agency had strongly suggested putting shoes on the screening belt but hadn't required it.

In other measures, TSA said it would let flyers carry treatments for low blood sugar, including glucose gel for diabetics; solid lipstick; and baby food. But it said all aerosols are prohibited.

On Saturday, the TSA added mascara to the list of banned items, which includes baby teethers containing gel or liquid, children's toys containing gel and gel candles.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the government was putting "less emphasis on the nail clippers and the nail scissors" and more on training additional screeners "specifically to look for modern-type detonation equipment that might be concealed in baggage."

He said a ban on carry-on luggage was "unlikely at this point."

Airport travelers also should expect to see broader use of police-trained sniffing dogs, TSA said, along with random gate inspections and bag searches. But the TSA is limited by law to 45,000 screeners at the 450 commercial airports.

Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Department on Sunday reduced the threat level from red, for "severe," to orange, for "high," for flights from Britain bound for the United States. All other flights operating in or destined for the United States remain at orange.

Carolyn Wooley

University of Oregon

Travel Coordinator

cwooley@uoregon.edu

541-346-3158 ph

541-346-2393 fax