EU carryons not shrinking

The European Union has backed off a plan to tighten the size limits on carry-on luggage.

“We must seek to balance security with passenger convenience,” said EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot. “In this case it is clear that the inconvenience of additional limits would outweigh the advance in security.

In the wake of an alleged August 2006 plot against civil airplanes in Britain, security experts recommended that the European Commission limit the maximum size of carry-on bags to 56 by 45 by 25 centimeters.

The measure was originally supposed to take effect in May 2007, but the European Union’s executive arm put it off a year while it conducted studies to see if it was really worthwhile, which it was not deemed to be.

The studies found that baggage size had little impact on the performance of airport security staff.” -AFP

 Wow, studying proposed security measures to see if they really work/help - a novel idea indeed!