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Travellers Through Canada's Airports Give Up All Liquids; Even Lip Gloss

Posted on: Thursday, 10 August 2006, 18:00 CDT

By ALLISON JONES

TORONTO (CP) - Travellers at Canadian airports faced heightened security measures Thursday after an alleged terrorist plot was uncovered in Britain to simultaneously blow up several aircraft heading to the United States from London's Heathrow Airport.

Passengers were told not to carry any liquids onto aircraft in the wake of the alleged scheme to blow up as many as 10 airliners using explosives smuggled in hand luggage.

Travellers flying out of Heathrow were not allowed any carry-on luggage and could only bring a house key on the plane.

"All we were allowed was a house key. Not a car key, because it has a remote, not a cellphone, no lipstick, no eye-glass carrying case, no pens, not even a handkerchief or a Kleenex," said 64-year-old Gary McDonald of Brampton, Ont., after he landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

Karen Smith, of Winnipeg, and her husband Blake were in London celebrating their 50th birthdays and said they were told even a book wasn't allowed on board, which was a pain considering the length of the flight.

"I understand there are a lot of security items," Smith said. "I think actually it made me feel better."

Marian Myron, 52, of Scotia, N.Y., said she barely made her early morning flight from Albany County airport to Pearson because of delays and extra security.

She thought she had followed the no-liquids rule after removing some items from her bags but security officials still confiscated makeup from her purse and nail polish and moisturizer from her carry-on luggage.

"I went out to my vehicle and offloaded all my shampoos and everything out of my carry-on, never thinking they were going to take my little pots of lip gloss and my brand new tube of Clinique makeup," Myron said. "I think they're taking anything that vaguely resembles liquid."

Myron, a lieutenant-colonel in the U.S. military in New York, said about 400 people were backed up trying to clear security at the U.S. airport at 6:30 a.m. and many were forced to hand over aftershave and expensive perfumes.

But she said she wasn't annoyed at the tight security.

"I more than understand," she said. "When you think about what these people were trying to do, maybe they shouldn't have taken my lip gloss, but I let them do it."

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority said the only exceptions under the no-liquid rules were baby formula, breast milk or juice if a baby or small child was travelling.

Prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger's ticket and non-prescription medicine such as insulin were also permitted.

Garbage barrels were overflowing at the Edmonton International Airport on Thursday morning where many passengers were caught off guard by the ban.

Travellers lining up to clear security were told to either chug or chuck their bottled water, pop, juice and coffee.

But there were few complaints and only minor delays.

"It's better they're careful with security than not," said Ron Omell, who was heading to Italy for a family wedding with his wife and children.

"We're Canadians. I think we've taken on tougher foes than this before."

Delays were also relatively minor at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland - which served as a hub for rerouted air traffic after the Sept. 11 attacks - in Halifax, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Passengers at Vancouver International Airport seemed to be taking the new restrictions in stride, said Sean Hughes, an airport worker who was handing out information sheets on the new rules.

"Everyone understands it," he said. "I haven't had a single angry person today, surprisingly."

Hughes, a university student who has worked at the airport for 3 1/2 years, disarmed anxious and angry travellers with humour.

When passengers got to security gates with coffees in hand, Hughes organized an impromptu chugging contest.

"We had about five or six guys doing it in a row with double-doubles," he said.

But not everyone was blase. Vancouver businessman Trevor Mander said he only heard about the restrictions while driving to the airport and found unusually long lineups when he got there.

"For the travelling public it's just more and more of a pain in the butt," he said. "I'm flying domestic and I've been here over an hour. I'm going to be struggling just to make the flight."

And, in Toronto, a man who would not give his name said he was boiling over with frustration.

"I just think we're entirely too fixated on terrorism," he said hotly.

John Pickersgill, who was headed home to Vancouver, was upset after being turned back by security because he carried a bottle of cologne in his carry-on baggage.

"I said, 'Look, I can spray it on myself to show you it's not a bomb,' " he said

"It's a brand new bottle, I'm not going to throw it out."

It was not clear how long the heightened security measures would be in effect across the country although Edmonton officials said they would last there for at least 72 hours.

"At that point we don't know if it will be renewed or if it will be changed or what would happen at the end of that period," said Traci Bednard, spokeswoman for Edmonton airports.

British police have arrested at least 20 people alleged to have been involved in the terror plot.

Authorities immediately began enforcing strict new regulations banning most hand baggage and virtually all liquids on British flights.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day told a Vancouver news conference there's no evidence any Canadians were involved in the plot and he expressed confidence that the country's anti-terror laws and regulations are working well and don't need further tightening.

"We have a high degree of confidence in the existing security system in place in Canada and also in our laws," he said.

Source: Canadian Press

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