Going through London Heathrow Airport LHR with Carry-On Liquids

Going through London Heathrow’s security is usually a pain when you have carry-on liquids, and after a couple of pass throughs where I had to transfer all of my liquids over to the airport security plastic bags (and toss a anything that didn’t fit), I came better prepared for future visits - I grabbed a couple extra bags that their airport security staff pass out.

I had a bit of a bone to pick but didn’t feel like it was worth getting into it at the time I went through LHR security for a flight to Amsterdam - my clear bag that carried my toiletries technically fit the requirements listed. But the agent informed me that the bag was too big - so I had to scramble to stuff my toiletries into their provided bag, and it had to seal. If it did not seal you couldn’t take the items so there were definitely a couple bottles I tossed. There have been other times that my own bag worked just fine, so I feel it was just dependent on the agent that was moving your bags through the security scan - but to lower the risk of being stopped you can use their clear bag. This time around on my way home, I made sure to just pack in the airport plastic bag from the start (checked anything else that didn’t fit), and had it ready to go so I didn’t have to re-pack last minute while in line.

All of your liquids, gels, pastes and aerosols must be in 100ml (3.38 oz) bottles/containers or less - you can’t have a container larger than that even if the substance inside if 100ml or less.

Although there were rumblings that the policy was going to change with LHR’s liquid requirements, who knows if that will be the case. I would say it’s safer to stick to the standard carry-on limits for most airport (3.4oz, and the "3-1-1" rule, that each container must be no more than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) and all liquids must be packed in a single, quart-size, clear, resealable plastic bag).

For London Heathrow, see their current security procedures and requirements for liquids here. Also going through the line before the security screening, there are very clear signs on what you can have or not have in your carry-on baggage - you would think it may be common knowledge, but certain items can also vary from country to country (such as no sharps over 6cm allowed, but when I traveled through Vietnam’s Tan Son Nhat Airport, I couldn’t have anything sharp) Just plan in advance if you have a question on what you can and can’t pack with you, and Happy Traveling!