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FRANKFURT - New rules forced air travellers to pack perfume, toothpaste and other liquids into small plastic bags before going through security checkpoints at Europe's airports on Monday.
Queues were longer than usual at terminals in Frankfurt and Paris as passengers got to grips with the new European Union regulations, though most travellers seemed reassured by the tougher measures.
"It's a bit cumbersome...but I have a good feeling that things will be much safer now," said Alketa Vaso, 34, on her way to Chicago from Germany.
The rules limit the amount of liquids people may take on board planes and reflect efforts to standardise measures put in place in Europe after London authorities said in August they had foiled a plot to bomb flights bound for the United States.
Most passengers in Frankfurt were well-prepared for the new security regulations, which will apply throughout the 25-nation European Union, as well as Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
"It's alright when you know beforehand, because then you can adjust to the rules," said Friedrich Bischoff, 50, as he headed to London.
Kylie Neal, 28, who was making her way to Dublin from Australia via the German airport, appreciated the extra security.
"It took a bit longer than usual... but I prefer that if it is safer. We've just been through Thailand, where we hardly got checked at all," she said.
Paris's Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports mobilised 500 extra people to cope with the changes and ordered over a million plastic bags, a spokeswoman for Aeroports de Paris said.
"Some early morning flights experienced takeoff delays of less than 30 minutes but as of mid-morning the situation was back to normal," she added.
Before the main security point at Frankfurt, airport staff examined each passenger's plastic bag during the early morning rush to check its contents kept to the specified rules as camera crews swarmed around to catch a glimpse of the new procedure.
Toothpaste, shampoo and shower gels in small hotel-size packages tended to make it through.
But a tube of Gillette shaving gel, a large tub of Clarins face cream and bottles of fizzy drinks were among items headed for the rubbish bin.
"It's irritating. Although I understand it's important for security," grumbled Mladen Galic, 38, as some of his items were confiscated from the plastic bag he wanted to take to Zagreb.
Another passenger, Elmar Pickhardt, was forced to down two sports drinks on the spot or leave them behind.
"I'm all for controls, but this is going a bit far," he said as he prepared to gulp down the drinks.
But he added: "I would prefer strict controls to another terror attack."
From Monday, passengers at Europe's airports can only bring on board one re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum size of 1 litre to store liquids. These must be placed in separate containers of up to 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) that fit into the transparent bag.
Certain exceptions will apply for medicines, baby foods and other dietary needs.
The rules were agreed by EU states based on studies of what would be required to make a liquid explosive. Similar restrictions are in place in the United States.
Police at Frankfurt airport, Europe's third-biggest hub after Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, said adjusting to the new rules had not been as chaotic as expected.
At Germany's second-biggest airport in Munich, things were also running relatively smoothly.
"It was business-as-usual with slightly longer queues," said Uwe Buechner, responsible for security and baggage control at the airport, adding that a few passengers complained but most remained calm.
Passengers must also remove jackets and coats at security checkpoints and take laptop computers and other large electrical devices such as DVD players out of their hand luggage to be screened separately.
Many EU member states already have such rules. The new rules will be compulsory across the EU, though nations can impose further measures if they choose.
- REUTERS
