New Rules Cause Confusion & Delays At Pearson
Posted August 10, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Now imagine you have to unpack everything and get rid of items like your toothpaste, your mouthwash or even your child’s plush toy before you can get onboard.
That was the scenario that greeted surprised travellers at Pearson International Airport Thursday, after revelations about a foiled terror plot targeting planes in Britain.
Many passengers showed up at their terminals only to be forced to divest themselves of the kinds of items they never would have thought about 24 hours earlier.
Because the alleged terror suspects overseas planned to use liquid explosives, Transport Canada immediately joined other countries in banning items that were always easily put in a carry-on.
Any kind of liquid gel products, like shampoo, toothpaste, suntan lotion, mouthwash or hair gel now has to be packed away.
No drinks will be allowed at any screening point or on any aircraft. Mothers can bring formula, breast milk or juice if they have a baby with them.
Prescription medicine will be allowed, but only if the name on the bottle matches the name on the airline ticket. Most non-prescription medications are also O.K.
And passengers at Terminal 2 heading to the U.S. will be asked to remove their shoes, a practice that’s been commonplace in Europe since Richard Reid attempted to blow up a plane in mid-flight using an explosive hidden in his footwear.
Most were trying to absorb the changes even as they divested themselves of their household goods.
“We definitely have to repack and we’re throwing everything back into our suitcases, which we thought was going to go into our carry-on,” laments Heather Moran , heading with a group to Uganda. “We were planning on spending a couple hours in London and being able to rearrange and do things like that.”
“This was supposed to be a carry-on but they asked me to check in it because I had stuff like toothpaste and shaving cream,” marvels a surprised Y adunanda Budigi.
“I’ve decided to I’m going to check my carry-on case because I’ve got makeup and all sorts of different things,” reveals Marichris Henry. “And I’m just going to take my eye drops and all these things and just put them in my case and just check them through.”
Airport spokespeople were on hand trying to work around the confusion, but many flights were delayed for up to an hour while the new rules were being enforced.
“People have been very patient, very understanding with the new changes, which is appreciated by everyone,” praises Scott Armstrong of the G.T.A.A.
There’s no immediate word on how long the new procedures will remain in place.
But bad as it was for Pearson passengers, things were far worse for those arriving from England.
After waits that lasted hours, people deplaning in Toronto were just glad their ordeal was over and that they made it here in one piece.
“It’s very, very scary,” notes a tired Christine Knight, whose family left Manchester for a two week stay in Toronto. “We didn’t know what had happened until we got to the airport. We’ve had to put everything — toys for the children, everything had to go into the bags.
And if you weren’t prepared to pack it, it would be gone.
“When you went through security, if you had a toy, baby’s comforters, they were just going in the bin,” Knight continues. “You weren’t allowed to bring anything on the plane.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the line-ups also taxed the patience of just about everyone flying here. “It was chaos, just lines and lines of travellers,” recalls a passenger named Colin, who waited endlessly in one of them. “They’re checking every piece of hand baggage. You can only take documentation and your wallet on the flight.”
For those heading to any airport anywhere, the message is the same – for the time being, get there early and be prepared to travel light and wait.
Still, if getting here was bad, few of those passengers from Britain are looking forward to what might happen when they all head home.
“It’s scary I think,” Knight admits. “But hey, you’ve got to do these things, haven’t you? You’ve not got to let people defeat you at the end the day.”
Not even at the end of a very, very long day.
What can you take on a plane?
It started with a simple item like box cutters, the ordinary everyday weapon the 9/11 hijackers used to commandeer the planes that crashed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Since then, the list of items banned on flights in Canada has grown longer.
In addition to the new prohibitions on liquids and gels, here’s what else you can’t take onboard an airplane in this country.
| Permitted & Non-Permitted Items |
Carry On
|
Checked
|
| KNIVES | ||
| Belt Buckle knives (Constant Companion) |
No
|
No
|
| Butterfly knives |
No
|
No
|
| Comb knives |
No
|
No
|
| Concealed knives of any length |
No
|
No
|
| Lipstick knives |
No
|
No
|
| Pen knives |
No
|
No
|
| Push daggers |
No
|
No
|
| Swichblade knives |
No
|
No
|
| Throwing knives |
No
|
No
|
| Hunting knives |
No
|
Yes
|
| Jacknife (e.g. Swiss army knife) |
No
|
Yes
|
| INCAPACITATING SPRAYS, LIQUIDS OR POWDERS | ||
| Mace |
No
|
No
|
| Pepper spray (including bear and dog sprays) |
No
|
No
|
| Tear gas |
No
|
No
|
| MARTIAL ARTS WEAPONS | ||
| Billy clubs and blackjacks |
No
|
Yes
|
| Bladed or spiked finger rings |
No
|
No
|
| Brass knuckles |
No
|
No
|
| Spiked collars or wristbands or any similar device |
No
|
No
|
| Kiyoga (steel) batons |
No
|
No
|
| Kubasuant (with knife blades) |
No
|
No
|
| Kubatons |
No
|
No
|
| Kusari (handgrip and chain) |
No
|
No
|
| Morning stars |
No
|
No
|
| Numchucks |
No
|
No
|
| Nunchaku sticks |
No
|
No
|
| Shuriken |
No
|
No
|
| Throwing stars |
No
|
No
|
| Yaqua Blowguns |
No
|
No
|
| OTHER WEAPONS | ||
| Arrows and darts used in crossbows |
No
|
No
|
| Blowguns |
No
|
No
|
| Crossbows (length not exceeding 500 mm) |
No
|
No
|
| Electric stun guns (except medical defibrillators) |
No
|
No
|
| Catapults |
No
|
No*
|
| Kubasuant (without knife blade) |
No
|
No*
|
| Pick-in-handle umbrellas |
No
|
No*
|
| Slingshots |
No
|
No*
|
| Sword canes |
No
|
No*
|
| * May be permitted in checked bags if approved by air carrier | ||
| EXPLOSIVES AND IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES | ||
| Fake ammunition including belts made with fake bullets and bullet key chains |
No
|
Yes
|
| Black and smokeless powders |
No
|
No
|
| Bombs (pipe, mortar, etc.) including replicas |
No
|
No
|
| Detonators (electric and non-electric) |
No
|
No
|
| Distress flares |
No
|
No
|
| Dynamite |
No
|
No
|
| Fireworks |
No
|
No
|
| Hand grenades (including replicas) |
No
|
No
|
| Molotov cocktails |
No
|
No
|
| Nitroglycerin |
No
|
No
|
| Plastic explosives (C4, SEMTEX, TNT, sheet explosives, etc.) |
No
|
No
|
| SPORTING GOODS | ||
| Arrows and darts for archery (sport use) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Billiard cues |
No
|
Yes
|
| Bolt cutters |
No
|
Yes
|
| Bowling balls |
No
|
Yes
|
| Golf clubs |
No
|
Yes
|
| Hockey sticks |
No
|
Yes
|
| Hunting knives |
No
|
Yes
|
| Ice axes |
No
|
Yes
|
| Ice picks |
No
|
Yes
|
| Ice skates |
No
|
Yes
|
| Lacrosse sticks |
No
|
Yes
|
| Lawn darts |
No
|
Yes
|
| Sabers |
No
|
Yes
|
| SCUBA knives |
No
|
Yes
|
| Ski poles |
No
|
Yes
|
| Sport bats (such as baseball and cricket bats) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Swords |
No
|
Yes
|
| Fishing poles (no hooks) |
Yes*
|
Yes
|
| Parachute |
Yes
|
Yes*
|
| Skateboards |
Yes*
|
Yes
|
| Sports raquets |
Yes*
|
Yes
|
| Miniature sports equipment |
Yes*
|
Yes
|
| Whips |
Yes*
|
Yes
|
| * Air carriers may permit provided certain conditions are met | ||
| DANGEROUS ARTICLES / SHARP OBJECTS | ||
| Axes |
No
|
Yes
|
| Belt buckles shaped like a gun and any similar items |
No
|
Yes
|
| Box cutters |
No
|
Yes
|
| Cigar cutters without removable blades |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Corkscrews, other than those with attached knives |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Cutting instruments (e.g. paring knives) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Cuticle cutters |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Disposable razors |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Digital meat thermometer |
No
|
Yes
|
| Hatchets |
No
|
Yes
|
| Items that look like weapons (e.g. perfume bottles shaped like a grenade) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Kitchen forks (plastic and metal) |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Knitting needles |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Laser pointers |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Meat cleavers |
No
|
Yes
|
| Nail clippers |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Nail files (of all types) |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Pins for attaching all medals and pins on broches |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Penetrating objects (including scissors with pointed tips) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Razor blades (not in a cartridge) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Razor blades cartridges |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Restraining devices (including handcuffs or other devices used by air carrier crew or police officers) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Sewing kits containing small sewing needles |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Straight razors (including cigar cutters that when pulled apart have an exposed blade) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, drills, saws, crow bars and heavy tools Note: Tool boxes containing dangerous goods such as explosives (power rivets), compressed gas or aerosols, flammable gases (butane cylinders or torches), flammable adhesives or paints, corrosive liquids, ets.) are not permitted to be trasported in passenger’s carry-on or checked baggage. |
No
|
Yes
|
| Toy transformer robots in the form of a firearm |
No
|
Yes
|
| Toy weapons (e.g. water gun, squirt gun, toy grenade) |
No
|
Yes
|
| Tweezers |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Heat producing articles | ||
|
Underwater torches |
Yes*
|
No
|
|
Soldering irons |
Yes*
|
No
|
| Oxygen generators |
No
|
No
|
| * Air carriers may permit provided certain conditions are met | ||
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Lighters and matches | ||
| Lighter fuel and refills |
No
|
No
|
| Lighters shaped like guns or grenades |
No
|
No
|
| Strike anywhere matches |
No
|
No
|
| One lighter intended for personal use and not containing unabsorbed liquid fuel when carried on the person (e.g. in pocket or purse), except at PBS checkpoints where US pre-clearance is in place |
Yes
|
No*
|
| One book of safety matches intended for personal use when carried on the person (e.g. in pocket or purse) |
Yes
|
No
|
| * Including Zippo | ||
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Flammables | ||
|
Flammable aerosols that are not toiletry items (e.g. static guard, aerosol laundry starch) |
No
|
No
|
| Gas refills |
No
|
No
|
| Gas torches |
No
|
No
|
| Insecticides (except those to be used by crew members for disinfection purposes) |
No
|
No
|
| Liquids marked as flammable (e.g. gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid and turpentine) |
No
|
No
|
|
Paint (including enamel, lacquer, liquid filler, paint thinner, stain, shellac, varnish and liquid lacquer base, solvent-based paint, spray paint) |
No
|
No
|
| Quick Lighting Charcoal Tablets |
No
|
No
|
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Medical Items | ||
| Oxygen cylinders, including chemical oxygen generators and liquid oxygen |
No
|
No
|
|
Small gaseous oxygen or air cylinders for medical use |
Yes*
|
Yes
|
|
Medical kits carried by health care professionals if the medical kit does not include sharp or cutting instruments and if the name and medical license of the health care professional or his or her name and company identification are provided |
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Syringes, hypodermic needles and biojectors for personal medical use, if the needle guard is in place, and the person possesses medication that is to be administered by means of the syringe or needle and biojectors, and if that is in a container that bears the name of the medication and the name of either the pharmacy that dispensed the medication or the manufacturer of the medication |
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Batteries: Wheelchairs and other battery-powered mobility aids (personal) |
No
|
Yes*
|
|
Medical or clinical thermometer (one small medical or clinical thermometer that contains mercury, for personal use, when in a protective case) |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Small cylinders of a gas of Division 2.2 of TDG Act (Transport Dangerous Goods), (e.g. carbon dioxide, azote, compressed air, etc.) worn for the operation of mechanical limbs and spare cylinders of similar size required to ensure an adequate supply during travel |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| * Air carriers may permit provided certain conditions are met | ||
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Sporting goods | ||
|
Equipment designed to contain a flammable liquid and containing dangerous goods (e.g. camping stoves and canisters) |
No
|
No
|
| Paintball gun |
No
|
Yes**
|
| Scuba tanks |
No
|
Yes**
|
| Carbon dioxide (CO 2) cylinders or cartridges (except those required for medical purposes; those to be used for aircraft maintenance or for aerodrome maintenance or construction; or those used for self-inflating life-jackets) |
No
|
No
|
|
CO 2 cylinders for self-inflating life-jacket |
Yes*
|
Yes*
|
|
* Air carriers may permit provided certain conditions are met |
||
| OTHER DANGEROUS GOODS | ||
|
Consumer electronic devices containing lithium or lithium cells or batteries when carried for personal use (e.g. laptop, cellular phone, camcorder) |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Spare batteries for consumer electronic devices containing lithium or lithium cells or batteries when carried for personal use. They must be individually protected and each spare battery must not exceed: – for lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries, a lithium content of not more than 2 grams; or – for lithium ion batteries, an aggregate equivalent lithium content of not more than 8 grams. |
Yes
|
No
|
| Fire extinguishers |
No
|
No
|
|
Mercury barometers or thermometers carried by a representative from government weather bureau or similar official agency |
Yes*
|
No
|
| Dry ice not exceeding 2 kg per person used for packaging perishables |
Yes*
|
Yes*
|
| Caustic materials such as liquid bleach and chlorine |
No
|
No
|
| One gas-operated hair curler per person provided that the safety cover is securely fitted over the heating element. Gas refills for such curlers are prohibited |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| * Air carriers may permit provided certain conditions are met | ||
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Aerosols | ||
|
Non-flammable, non-poisonous aerosols for sporting and home use (e.g. Reddi Whip) |
No
|
Yes
|
| DANGEROUS GOODS – Toiletries / personal items | ||
|
Insect repellent, limit of one canister of aerosol |
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Non-radioactive medicinal or toilet articles for personal use, nail polish remover, hair spray |
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Perfume, cologne, and medicine containing alcohol including rubbing alcohol |
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
3% hydrogen peroxide found in drug stores to clean cuts |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| 4.5 CONTRABAND | ||
|
Intoxicants |
No
|
No
|
| Money |
No
|
No
|
In addition to the above, no weapons, firearms or cartridges are allowed in any carry-on bags. In some cases, they may be stored in luggage with the prior approval of the carrier.
Courtesy: Transport Canada
