UAE | Tourism
New hand baggage rules create confusion at Dubai airport
Passengers travelling from Dubai International Airport were confused over the new security rules for hand baggage that went into effect yesterday, saying they were not informed by their travel agents.
- By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 16:11 June 18, 2007
- Image Credit: Regi Varghese/Gulf News
- Passengers are restricted to carrying containers of 100 millilitres each.
Dubai: Passengers travelling from Dubai International Airport were confused over the new security rules for hand baggage that went into effect yesterday, saying they were not informed by their travel agents.
They said they were not aware of the rules on carrying liquids on board despite an information campaign earlier by the airport authorities.
"This is an inconvenience. Nobody told me about this. We have some liquids and don't know what to do with the bottles," said Lavanya Prakash, who was travelling to Chennai, India.
Passengers are restricted to carrying containers of 100 millilitres each, amounting to a total of one litre that should be placed in a re-sealable plastic bag of about 20cm x 20cm.
"I bought a lot of perfume bottles and do not know what I will do with all of them. All my relatives are waiting for gifts and I do not want to disappoint them," said Swaminathan, who was travelling to Chennai.
No inconvenience
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"I did not know about this rule, but fortunately I do not usually travel with liquids in my hand luggage. My brother is a resident here and told me it was better not to travel with any liquids at all," said Jovair Ahmad, who was flying to Bangladesh.
However, passengers travelling to the UK and the US did not face as much inconvenience with the new hand baggage rules since they were abiding by the international hand baggage security rules.
"I have the zip-lock bag and only did it because it's the same rule as in the United States. But I had no idea that this rule is in force in Dubai because no-one informed me," said Radiya Chhatriwalla, who was travelling to the US via Mumbai.
Salman Bhatti, a passenger travelling to London, said that although he was not aware of the rule he had packed his luggage according to the standard of Heathrow Airport.
Leaflets
"I was not aware that this rule applied here, but fortunately I packed my luggage according to the rules of Heathrow Airport to make travelling easier. I travel quite a lot, so wherever I go I always follow those rules," he said.
Airlines did not report any disruption of scheduled flights as a result of passenger confusion over the new security rules for hand baggage.
"Emirates flight departures were not impacted by the new regulations and most travellers are already accustomed to these guidelines on hand baggage for quite some time. Printed material has also been prepared for our sales, ticketing and airport check-in counters," said an Emirates spokesperson.
Duty-free outlets will issue special bags
Colonel Abdul Rahman Bin Hafez, Director of inspection at Dubai International Airport, said passengers who purchase duty-free items will have to make sure the items are placed in special bags and that they carry the receipt of purchase. Each bag should not hold more than two litres, he said.
Special bags will be provided by staff at the Duty Free outlets. This baggage rule is for passengers who will transit at other airports, he said.
He said passengers who carry liquids or gels that exceed the size of the self-sealing see-through plastic bags, will have to put them in the luggage or they will be confiscated.
Passenger will be allowed to carry enough medicines for the trip, as medicines that are less than 100 millilitres will be packed in transparent plastic bags with other liquids to ease the inspection operation.
"The security procedures will be smooth as policemen will spread awareness among the passengers on the security rules," he said.
The officer called on the public to cooperate with the decision that complies with the traveller's own benefit. He said airport policemen have been instructed to pass on information about the rules to the public. - Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter
Have your say
Do you think these security measures are necessary? Has it impacted your shopping and travel plans? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.
Your comments
People should realise it is for their own safety and should comply, instead of complaining.
Jude
Dubai,UAE
Authorities should make sure there is ample information available to the public regarding new rules, otherwise confusions will arise.
Mohammed
Dubai,UAE
A lot of expats are going on a holiday at this time of the year. So if they are not properly informed of the new rules, this can cause last minute inconveniences for passengers.
Lekha
Sharjah,UAE
It is not the rule that causes inconvenience, but the implementation. Authority should ensure that the rules are implemented with minimum inconvenience to. Most business travellers will not have luggage with them. They normally carry a cabin bag with all the necessary items in it. Authorities should then provide necessary information about the new rules and have transparent bags available at the airport so that passengers will not be forced to discard items that are not allowed.
Jacob
Dubai,UAE
These new rules are an inconvenience ? especially if you need to carry valuable liquid items like bottled perfumes.
Shahul
Abu Dhabi,UAE
I agree with everything, except the rule on medicines. When you travel internationally there is a high probability of loss of luggage. Medicines should be allowed. I travel a lot in the US and with my kids. I carry their medication along and have never met any problem.
Abdul
Chicago,USA
This will affect the way people shop for gift items. People may avoid buy gift items like perfumes.
Sajjad
Aligarh,India
Yes, these measures are necessary for the safety and security of passengers.
Virginia
Dubai,UAE
These rules are for the safety of passengers, so people have no need to worry.
Malik
Mianwali,Pakistan
People should get their heads out of the sand. This information has been widely available for a long time. Ignorance is a lame excuse in this information age.
Markus
Abu Dhabi,UAE
The new regulation is a pretty good step for Dubai International Airport. It will help travellers to complete their airport transactions within a very short time because of their commitment to the international hand bag security rules.
Eman
Dubai,UAE
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