The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been enforcing what is known as “3-1-1 for carry-ons” for years. Under this rule, travelers can carry liquids in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 mL) or less, provided they fit comfortably into a quart-size (1 liter) clear, resealable plastic bag.. This rule has been pretty standard all around the world ever since the August 2006 terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives on planes.
In March, 2022, the first airport was able to do away with the rules, thanks to their investment in better technology. The second airport to allow more liquids began doing so a few months later. By the end of 2022, a whole country announced they would soon no longer limit liquids. It’s been suggested that more and more countries will be using the same technology, and therefore allow more liquids through their respective checkpoints.
Unfortunately, the U.S. isn’t on that list of countries yet. In fact, here’s what we were told when we asked the TSA about it.
There was this neat little hack to get around the TSA’s 3-1-1 liquid rule. But a woman just revealed her method to get full-sized liquid bottles past airport security, which I think is genius.
The Hack That Beats the Liquid Rule
Emma Mahonn, a resident of Scotland, says that she refuses to pay for hold luggage (a U.K. term for “checking her bag”). But she wanted to bring more than 100 mL of her favorite (well, favourite) liquids when she traveled.
See, in the U.K., Boots is a very popular health and beauty retailer. They’ve got something like 2,500 shops across the United Kingdom and Ireland. They’re very similar to CVS or Walgreens (actually, Walgreens has owned Boots since 2014).
Anyway, one cool thing about Boots is you can find them in some of the airports in the U.K. and Ireland, specifically:
- Aberdeen
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- East Midlands
- Edinburgh
- Gatwick North & South
- Glasgow
- Heathrow (Terminal 2, 3, 4 & 5)
- Leeds Bradford
- Liverpool
- London City
- Luton
- Manchester (terminal 1, 2 & 3)
- Newcastle
- Stansted
Most, if not all of them are past the security checkpoint.
Of course, the prices at the Boots inside the airport have the same problem as any airport establishment – they’re inflated.
But Mahonn got around that.
How Mahonn Made It Work
Do you know how you can order stuff from stores ahead of time and then pick it up? It was already a “thing” in past years but took off with COVID. Anyway, Boots offers that service (they call it “Click and Collect“), and apparently they include airport locations as potential pickup locations.
So Mahonn ordered her full-sized suntan spray, shower gel, moisturizer, etc., and selected to pick them up at her local airport’s Boots on her day of departure. So she managed to get them for standard prices and through security.
@emma.mahonn can always trust me to find the cheapest way to travel ! xo #travel #josemourinho #cheaptravel #trending
The Catch
Mahonn never explained how to get these full-sized toiletries BACK without checking luggage (well, unless she’s flying from this airport and then she could). But if the goal was simply to get full-sized liquid bottles past security, and without airport prices to boot, then mission accomplished.
Now if only there were some Walgreens or CVS past security in the U.S., huh? Then we could do that too.
Feature Photo (cropped): SlimVirgin / Wikimedia / CC by 3.0
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