Liquid Limits for Flying Will Likely Be in Place Until at Least 2040, TSA Says

09.08.2024 - 18:46 / travelandleisure.com

If you’re an avid traveler (and even if not), you’ve probably heard the rumblings that sometime soon the 3.4 oz. TSA liquids rule is going to change. Currently, you’re not allowed to bring containers larger than 3.4 ounces (or 100 ml) of liquids, gels, or aerosols through security. Commonly referred to as the “3-1-1” rule, it traces its origins back to a failed plot in 2006 when terrorists in the U.K. tried to smuggle liquid explosives onto planes. The rules were originally intended to be temporary but nearly 20 years later remain in place.

The whispers likely started because of a big shift in the U.K. In 2022 it began rolling out new scanners with the promise of allowing as many liquids as passengers wanted in containers of up to two liters. This was thanks to Computed Tomography (CT) units that can determine different liquids more easily. A handful of airports, including London City, successfully implemented the scanners. The early adopters saw the new machines as a competitive advantage, as British airports are notorious for being sticklers about fitting all your liquids in a clear, quart-sized bag. But the bigger airports lagged behind government-imposed deadlines.

In a shock to many travelers, the government announced in June that all airports regardless of whether they had installed the new machines will stick to the 100 milliliter limit.

The same goes for airports in the EU. Despite the new scanners having been rolled out at a number of airports in Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and more, Europe followed the U.K.'s lead last week and announced the 100 limit was coming back.

While there is reasonable hope that this is a temporary setback in Europe, the change is not happening anytime soon for the U.S.

«TSA is still deploying Computed Tomography (CT) units that are capable of screening larger sizes of liquids, however the agency will not be able to change the current 3-1-1 liquids rule for some time to come, because there are about 2,000 screening lanes in about 430 airports,” says a TSA spokesperson to Travel+Leisure via email. 

»We are anticipating that it may not be until 2040 that we have CT units fully deployed across the nation and have the capability of changing the requirement across the system."

Yes, you read that right — 2040.