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A new poll by the UK’s fastest growing online independent travel agent has revealed that a large number of Brits are clueless when it comes to airport processes and security, with 21% believing it’s acceptable to take large scissors on a plane and 1 in 10 stating UK passengers don’t need to produce a passport to fly within Europe. The latest research has revealed a general ignorance amongst Brits towards airport security and policies, with 1 in 5 believing it is acceptable to take large scissors on board a place.
The study was commissioned by sunshine.co.uk, in order to find out how knowledgeable people were of what is and isn’t allowed at airports and when flying. 1,821 people in the UK were subsequently polled, each of whom had flown in the past five years.
42% failed to acknowledge the fact that passengers are only allowed to take 100ml of liquids in their hand luggage, whilst 19% had previously had to remove toiletries from their hand luggage before boarding.
Almost half, 49%, thought a corkscrew would be allowed in hand luggage on board a flight, whilst 18% put Stanley knives in the list of acceptable things to take onto a plane. On the contrary, 77% stated passengers were not allowed matches on a flight, when in fact a single book of safety (non-strike anywhere) matches is allowed.
When asked questions surrounding airport policy, sunshine.co.uk also found that 1 in 10, 9%, thought UK passengers didn’t need to produce a passport when flying within Europe. 6% thought air stewards were trained to fly planes in the case of an emergency.
When it came to use of technology during a flight, 3% incorrectly believed you could use a mobile to text or call from on a plane, as long as it wasn’t during take-off or landing.
Chris Brown, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, commented on the findings; “As a travel agent, we deal with customers who fly to a whole range of destinations, so we really wanted to find out how knowledgeable they were when it came to airport security and different policies at the airport and during flights.
“We were really surprised at how misunderstood some people seemed to be, especially when it came to the more obvious banned items on flights such as large scissors and Stanley knives. At first, you’d think people would know that items such as this were not allowed, but it seems many remain in the dark about such policies.
“Whilst the liquid restrictions are a more recent development, we are aware that some passengers still turn up with hand luggage containing toiletries, which then causes them a lot of bother at security control. If you’re hoping to get your holiday off to a good start, it’s always best to be aware of airport restrictions before setting out.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
