The thrill of air travel turns into stress when one has to wait for hours in long queues during security check at the airport. Often, not only is a lot of time wasted by the security personnel in re-opening the bag, taking out each item and re-packing it again, but the fear of missing the flight also starts haunting. In most cases, this delay is not due to security protocols, but due to unplanned and disorganized packing of passengers. If you keep a few basic rules and international aviation guidelines in mind when packing your bags, you can get through security in no time. Smart Layering Technology: Give Clear Vision to X-Ray Scanner Airport security scanners (X-Ray Baggage Scanner) are designed to scan high-density objects with ease. When you entangle clothes, metal items, shoes and electronic wires and stuff them together in the bag, an opaque silhouette is formed on the screen, due to which CISF or security officials find the bag suspicious and they open the bag for manual checking. To avoid this, adopt layering technique. Place clothes and heavy items at the bottom of the bag, then place shoes and documents, and place easily accessible items at the top. Keep electronic gadgets and power banks at the top or in a separate compartment. It takes the most time to remove laptops, tablets, e-readers and cameras during security check. As per rules, it is mandatory to keep laptops and large electronic devices separately in the security tray. If your laptop is stuck at the bottom of the bag, the entire bag will fall apart in order to remove it. Always choose a carry-on bag (Hand Baggage) that has a dedicated and quick-access laptop compartment (Quick-Access Pouch) on the outside. Also, remember to never put power banks and spare lithium-ion batteries in check-in baggage, always keep them in hand baggage as your luggage is detained if power banks are found at check-in. 3-1-1 Understand the Liquid Rule: Use Clear Pouches Aviation safety rules regarding liquids (Liquids, Aerosols, and Gels – LAGs) are very strict. No liquid, perfume, lotion, shampoo, toothpaste or sanitizer in containers larger than 100 milliliters (100ml) is allowed in cabin baggage. Even if there is only 50ml of shampoo left in a 200ml bottle, security guards may confiscate the bottle given its size. For this follow the '3-1-1 rule': Take small containers up to 100ml and place them all in a transparent, seal-closed ziploc bag. This pouch can be taken out in one go from the checking tray, so that there is no need to open the bag. Use a 'cable organizer' for wires and chargers. Charging cables, earphones, adapters and power cords scattered inside the bag look like suspicious wiring to the X-ray machine, which immediately draws the attention of the scanner operator. Buy a small cable organizer pouch (Electronics Travel Pouch) to keep wires from getting tangled. Keep all chargers, pen drives and adapters in this pouch in an organized manner. This makes things clearly visible on the scanner screen and avoids unnecessary bag searching. Airport Dress Code: Avoid metal accessories and complex shoes The second biggest cause of delay is the beeping sound when passing through the security gate (DFMD – Door Frame Metal Detector). Be wise when wearing clothes and shoes on the day of travel. Avoid wearing belts with heavy metal buckles, jackets with metal buttons, watches and heavy jewelery or remove them and keep them safely in the outer pocket of your hand bag before entering the security check line. Avoid wearing shoes that have too many laces or that take time to take off. Slip-on shoes or normal sneakers are considered most suitable for air travel. Make a dedicated pocket for documents and boarding pass. Identity card (Aadhaar/Passport) and boarding pass have to be shown repeatedly at security check and boarding gate. Often people stand in the queue and start searching for tickets and IDs in the deep recesses of their pockets or bags, due to which the time of the people standing behind in the queue is also wasted. For this, use a small sling bag, travel wallet or a secure zipped pocket of the jacket, from where you can take out your documents in a second without any panic. If you are using the 'DigiYatra' facility, your face becomes your boarding pass, saving huge time. Pay close attention to the weight and size limits of the cabin bag. Violating the hand baggage rules of the airlines (usually up to 7 kg) often results in the airline staff sending you back to the check-in counter even after going through security, which poses a serious risk of missing your flight. Before leaving home, check the weight of your cabin bag with a portable weighing scale. Do not overfill the bag (avoid overstuffing), because if the security personnel has to open the bag to look for something suspicious, it will be difficult to close the bloated bag again.
