UK airports poised to miss deadline to end liquid searches

The UK’s biggest airports are balking at a long-awaited change that promises to ease the slog through passenger security queues, as the hubs struggle to meet a June deadline to switch over to next-generation scanners. London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted airports — the four largest in the UK — will all miss the target or only partially implement the new equipment on time. The more-powerful machines use X-ray technology to scan liquids and electronics inside hand luggage, eliminating the need for passengers to remove the items for pre-flight checks. Tardy progress toward the new system casts a cloud over boarding requirements during the busy summer season, as travelers prepare to pass through security lanes hosting a mix of new and old scanners. In practical terms, passengers across the UK will still need to separate their shampoo and laptops, just in case they wind up in a queue with the older equipment. An incomplete transition “could create a lot of confusion for travelers about what the rules are for liquids and removing electronics at different UK airports, leading to more delays,” said Rory Boland, editor of non-profit consumer guide Which? Travel. “Over the past few years, certain airports have struggled with delays and keeping up with demand at peak holiday times.” Security waits can last an hour or more at the worst-performing UK airports, according to a November 2022 Which? survey. The government set the current deadline after postponing an original 2022 cutoff because of the Covid-19 pandemic. <br/>