In just two weeks’ time, most of us should be able to switch our out-of-office on, and switch our mind off from work – but if your Christmas break includes a flight off-island, you need to make sure your get-away doesn’t begin badly.
Both Jersey and Guernsey Airports are warning passengers about the pitfalls travellers face over the festive season: most importantly that wrapped presents cannot be carried as hand luggage.
If you’ve carefully wrapped a present, make sure it’s in your checked-in baggage, as if it has to be carried through security, there’s a chance you could be asked to unwrap it so its contents can be checked.
And while we all say “no” to the “are you carrying explosives?” question, at Christmas you may be accidentally breaking the rules. Home-made crackers and party poppers aren’t allowed on a plane, whether in your suitcase or hand-baggage.
And that liquid limit we all know too well, could mean that present of perfume or aftershave gets confiscated. If it’s more than 100ml, it must be checked in. And that also includes pastes, gels, jams, preserves, dairy products and lotions.
Jersey Airport’s passenger services manager, Maria Le Tiec, said: “It’s inevitable that coming up to this time of year passengers are likely to be travelling with a higher than usual number of gifts and we want their journey to be as smooth and as comfortable as possible.”
“Stringent security measures at airports, which were introduced globally some years ago remain in place, even during the festive period. Although the majority of air passengers, especially frequent travellers, are fully aware of the restrictions and take appropriate measures, there will be some who unintentionally may have overlooked these measures. Therefore, by providing our customers with this timely reminder we hope it will decrease the risk of having items confiscated at central security search.”
Passengers who want to take Christmas crackers should contact their airline before travelling as policies vary. Home-made ones are banned, but shop-bought ones are allowed by some carriers.
