The Guadalajara Reporter

Fun & games with airport security: the rules they are a-changing

Just back from a trip halfway around the globe, which included transatlantic flights, short local hops and even travel in military helicopters. Along the way, I discovered that worldwide airline security procedures have quietly changed since I followed a similar route a year ago.

No longer are airports concerned about the perilous threat of toothpaste and the insidious dangers of shampoos. Entirely gone in every corner of the world, as far as I could see, is the obligation to place life-threatening liquids like nose drops in one-quart Ziplock bags  … or woe betide you! I remember my month-long search last year to find somebody here in Guadalajara with a one-quart bag, after discovering that Mexican supermarkets only sell two sizes, one too small and one too big for this regulation.

I am now happy to report that my toothpaste is back in my toiletry kit where it belongs.

Drinking water: half the world no longer cares whether you brought along a bottle of water or where you got it from. And shoes. Would you believe it? I travelled 34,000 miles and no one asked me to take off my non-metallic shoes to go through security – except in the United States, of course, apparently the only country in the world still worried about shoe bombers.

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