Airplane liquid, cellphone restrictions may be phased out starting as early as January

Video: Airline passengers may finally be able to bring liquids in the their carry-on baggage. Mike Drolet reports.

TORONTO – If you’re frustrated you can’t gulp back a bottle of juice while listening to a podcast as your plane takes off, some relief may come in the new year.

As anyone who’s waited in an airport security line knows, liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) in carry-on baggage must be 100 ml/100 grams (3.4 oz) or less. These containers must be in one “clear, closed, resealable plastic bag no more than 1 litre (1 quart) in capacity,” according to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.

The inconvenient rules were created by the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after a 2006 terrorist plot to make a bomb on board an airplane using ingredients carried in such liquid containers.

But the ban was only meant to be temporary until technology to screen liquids for explosives became available, and an ICAO working paper says that time is now.

Lifting liquid restrictions

Transport Canada said Canada, the U.S., Australia and the EU are “working with screening authorities, airlines and airports to screen a limited amount of liquids to determine to what extent the restrictions can be lifted.” They noted no changes will be made that cause a safety risk.

The ICAO paper said the first phase will start by Jan. 31, 2014 and involves screening LAGs more than 100ml “packed in ICAO Security Tamper-Evident Bags (STEBs) and LAGs above 100ml to be used during the trip for medical purposes or special dietary requirements (e.g. baby food).”

The paper suggests future phases of the screening may include more LAG items and/or remove the need for 100ml containers, sealed bags or STEBs. It concludes international consistency is needed so that airline passengers aren’t inconvenienced or confused when they travel to countries that still have liquid restrictions in place.

Using your phone in flight

In the U.S., a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) panel is meeting this week to reportedly recommend that airline passengers be allowed to read e-books, listen to podcasts and watch videos on their devices during flight.

While Transport Canada says Canada doesn’t currently have such a panel to review electronic regulations on flights, a spokesperson told Global News they will consider changes following the U.S. study.

No data was available from Transport Canada on how many Canadian flights have had problems due to the use of a cellphone on board a plane. They noted that such instances are hard to study.

“Devices carried by passengers, such as cell phones, have different power levels and may use different frequencies, so their effects are difficult to assess, given that they are not maintained and controlled using aviation safety standards.”