AVOID HEATHROW in London UK at all costs -- Allow only 1 carry-on -- rigidly enforced

[Marty_Allan]

DO NOT FLY TO OR CONNECT THROUGH HEATHROW AIRPORT IF YOU MUST USE TWO CARRY-ON BAGS, NO MATTER HOW SMALL.

HEATHROW AIRPORT POLICE WILL STOP YOU FROM BOARDING OR EVEN TRANSFERRING FROM ONE FLIGHT TO ANOTHER IF YOU HAVE TWO CARRY-ON BAGS, EVEN IF THE OTHER IS A SMALL PURSE OR SMALL BAG.

DO NOT FLY ON BRITISH AIRWAYS OR ANY OTHER AIRLINE IF THEY CONNECT THROUGH HEATHROW.

IF YOU MUST HAVE TWO CARRY-ON BAGS, DO NOT CONNECT THOUGH HEATHROW OR INCLUDE LONDON ON ANY ITINERARY TO VISIT EUROPE, IF THE ONLY CONVENIENT AIRPORT IS HEATHROW.

A backpack with a camera and lens, and a briefcase with a laptop PC or even a purse will count as two carry-on bags. Any photographer or tourist travelling to more than one European country and who must take two carry-on bags has no choice but to avoid London and if necessary the United Kingdom if Heathrow is the only convenient airport. (As an advanced amateur photographer I must carry one backpack with camera bodies and lenses, and a briefcase with a laptop for the downloading of photos.)

The Heathrow police run all passengers transferring planes, as well as flights originating at Heathrow, through a single file gauntlet. Numerous Heathrow police, on both sides of the single file line, are posted for ONLY one purpose -- to stop passengers with two carry on bags, no matter how small, and pull them out of the line.

I witnessed over a dozen passengers pulled out of line in a ten minute period who had been allowed to board their first flight at another airport with two carry-on bags. None of those passengers had any reason to anticipate this problem at Heathrow since all other airports follow a two carry-on policy. Including the airport where their flight originated.

Any passenger pulled out of the line by the Heathrow police must exit by standing in the long British custom line, then wait in another line at their airline to check the second bag, and then must pass back through airport security. I went through the above unbelievable hassle and only made by flight because it was late.

I must give the British Heathrow police full credit for being more zealous and unyielding than the worst cops in any American city. The Heathrow airport police pulled old ladies with a small carry-on and a purse out of the line. I literally mean old ladies. Mayor Rizzo or Mayor Daly's police would be more reasonable by comparison.

When I flew out of Berlin on Lufthansa, and transferred to United in Frankfurt, the airport police sent me right through with two carry-on bags. In the last six months I have had two carry-on bags when flying out of numerous US airports, on both domestic and international flights, as well as the airports in Tokyo and Beijing. Other business travelers who fly around the world said that this only happens at Heathrow.

Finally it should be noted that this policy has nothing to do with stopping crime or terrorism. If that was the case it would be universally applied across Europe and the U.S. I'm no expert on terrorism but something dangerous can just as easily be carried in the largest legal carry-on as in two small carry on bags such as a backpack and a briefcase. And all carry on bags are x-rayed in any event.

Other airlines, airports and business travelers have told me that Heathrow is notorious and is probably already impacting tourism to Britain.

There are other places to visit. Dealing with the zealous British police at Heathrow isn't worth a visit to England. Instead visit a country that actually encourages tourism by following sensible policies at their largest international airports -- and that includes every other airport in Europe (based on what European business travelers told me) and probably the world.

(I suspect that British Airways encourages this policy to cut down on carry-on bags even though they deny it. They richly deserve the loss of business, as does every hotel and tourist establishment in London, as long as Heathrow enforces this policy.)

AVOID HEATHROW IF YOU MUST HAVE TWO CARRY ON BAGS, AND THE UK IF THAT IS THE CONSEQUENCE, AS A TOURIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER.

AND AVOID LONDON HOTELS, AND TOURISM IN LONDON, IF THAT MEANS USING HEATHROW, AND IF YOU MUST HAVE TWO CARRY ON BAGS.

IT JUST ISN'T WORTH IT.

[KevinWeatherly]

.... and they make you take your shoes off before being x-rayed!
I had the same problem flying back from Athens, but as I live in the UK I didn't have much choice, however they did allow us to stuff all the contents of two bags into one, so make sure one of your bags has some spare room! The regional airports in the UK don't seem to be so strict from my experience so don't avoid us completely.

[MikeA]

Thanks for the warning, but I don't think this is news. Hand luggage has been severely restricted through UK airports since august last year. The restrictions are placed on all airline journeys through the UK by the BAA (British Airports Authority)

British airways make their hand luggage policy very clear, it's in big red letters on their website, and our tickets came with information about the restrictions:

British Airways - Hand baggage

When we went through Heathrow last year, security was even tighter. You were allowed a plastic bag with your passport and absolutely minimal else. If it wasn't checked luggage you just couldn't take it on board, period. The restrictions you struck are very lenient by comparison.

Although it is a real nuisance to fly through the UK, and not just because of the baggage restrictions, the Brits are doing a good job of putting their actions where their mouth is as far a airline security is concerned. I'd rather get hassled over my hand luggage and arrive safely!

Probably the rest of the world is going to wait for some more planes to get hijacked before they tighten up. In the meantime, if the UK is not your destination, it's possible to fly to most places without going there.

Mike.

[Marty_Allan]

Originally Posted by MikeA

Thanks for the warning, but I don't think this is news. Hand luggage has been severely restricted through UK airports since august last year. The restrictions are placed on all airline journeys through the UK by the BAA (British Airports Authority)

British airways make their hand luggage policy very clear, it's in big red letters on their website, and our tickets came with information about the restrictions:

British Airways - Hand baggage

the Brits are doing a good job of putting their actions where their mouth is as far a airline security is concerned. I'd rather get hassled over my hand luggage and arrive safely!

Probably the rest of the world is going to wait for some more planes to get hijacked before they tighten up. In the meantime, if the UK is not your destination, it's possible to fly to most places without going there.

Mike.

And what about everyone else, who doesn't fly on British Airways, and isn't warned? The zealous Heathrow cops were nailing everyone, regardless of airline. I flew into Heathrow on a different airline and wasn't warned by my airline or anyone else. And the Heathrow info is not on the web sites of all airlines. (In my case my airline moved me to a flight through Heathrow at the last moment so I couldn't have checked that web site even if I wanted to. Not at the ticket counter. Anyway, if the airlines don't warn us -- since most people check the airline web sites, not the airport, you'd never know.)

If this has something to do with security and terrorism, please explain it to me. Take a look at the huge size of the maximum sized backpack you can carry on a plane. What possible difference does it make if you do that, versus an 80 year old lady with a very small bag and a purse -- and I watched three such grandmothers over the age of 70 get pulled out of the line for exactly that reason.

The Heathrow cops are inflexible, rude and stupid. Hassling old ladies because they have a purse. This has nothing to do with security.

I prefer to carry my camera gear in a backpack, and a laptop in a briefcase. Otherwise, you have to lug a huge Think Tank backpack through airports, and then get to the location and be stuck with that monster.

I fully support policies that protect us from terrorism. But if this policy is really needed for that reason, it would be implemented across the globe.

Personally, I'll never fly on British Airways. Let them lose business for the stupid policies of their government.

[Marty_Allan]

Originally Posted by KevinWeatherly

I had the same problem flying back from Athens

Was it a British airline that enforced this in Athens, or was the Athens airport enforcing it against all airlines and all passengers?

[MikeA]

Marty,

Cool down man. It's not the Police or the Airlines, it's the Government (well, it's the UK Department of Transport through the BAA). They are actively limiting what and how much you can take on board. The reason they are 'hassling old ladies' is possibly to make sure that the take-on liquid limits are not exceeded.

Heathrow is the busiest airport on the planet. It's a nightmare even without high security. If you think it is bad now, you should have tried going through in August last year. People were dumping cameras, phones, ipods, etc IN THE BIN just so they could get on the plane!

All this is well known, and has been in force for a long time. (where have you been?) It's a pity that you missed reading about it before you departed for the UK. If your airline is not informing you of restrictions, that is a customer service failure of your airline IMO. Better to talk to the airline about it than rail at BA. (I'm not fond of British Airlines, but this doesn't sound like their fault)

The policy IS for protecting us against terrorism. It's up to each country to decide what they allow, and the UK is one of the more restrictive at the moment. Last time I checked, the UK --> US leg was the most restrictive as far as cabin baggage is concerned.

Mike

[DierkHaasis]

Originally Posted by MikeA

The policy IS for protecting us against terrorism.

Sure, anything a governMENTAL institutions calls out 'to protect the citizens' is a policy against terrorism. And Mr Blair's government is known for the measured approach they take ...

Putting the guilt on the passengers for a non sequitur policy handled with bad communications seems like the Newspeak police has won. As was asked, how does a second [minor] bag help the terrorists? Are only terrorists using purses? What, exactly, constitutes a second bag, if I have a laptop bag put into my photo rucksack [ThinkTank Airport Addicted, which comes with a stowaway laptop briefcase], do I carry two bags? What if I decide to throw my laptop bag together with my small photo carry-on [ThinkTank Urban Disguise] into a plastic bag - one bag or two?

Let's assume I am a terrorist with access to modern explosives, do you really think I'd need a bag at all to get it on board? And if I only want to let off a bomb on a flying plane, do you think I'd need the bomb being in the passenger's compartment? Probably only if I am too stupid to come up with a better trigger than Hollywood script writers [either a button to be pushed with enough delay so Jack Bauer can torture and defuse, or an old fashioned alarm clock with a red segment so Mrs robinson can take it apart with her Swiss Army Knife]. Even Bluetoooth allows for some leeway ...

Marty, thanks for the warning!

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