£1.8 MILLION A DAY: A recent study reveals the high cost of UK airport confiscation to flight passengers.

Figures suggest ditching personal goods at security is costing them close to £2 million a day.

Airport confiscation takes place when passengers breach flight luggage regulations imposed by authorities.

Among the most common confiscated items are suncream, knives, and beauty products.

Flying hand luggage restrictions ban liquids over a certain size. They also prohibit carrying potential weapons inside any hand luggage on planes.

Direct Line Travel Insurance carried out the report. They estimated flight passengers throw away or lose £608 million worth of items every year. They say 80,000+ items get confiscated every day at airports in the United Kingdom.

Airport confiscation affects well over 1,000 passengers every hour at UK airports. Thus, breaching airport security restrictions is costing passengers ‘dearly‘.

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Pouring Money Down the Drain

Around 50% of all the abandoned goods at airports is water. Passengers have to drink it or pour it away. Alcohol is the next most common, followed by skincare products, and then deodorant.

The 100ml restriction for liquids taken onto planes got implemented in August 2006. Yet, more than 12% of adults who had an item confiscated denied knowing there was a limit.

One in five who had items removed from their luggage said they did not know there were any restrictions at all.

The company carrying out the report said it is astonishing to see the value of personal items confiscated on a daily basis by airport security. British people are throwing away, or losing, a huge amount of money.

Baggage checks are increasing across Europe to help ensure flight passenger safety. It takes time for airport security services to search luggage for restricted items.

Thus, flyers must be aware of what items are in their luggage. Removing any restricted items should get done before they arrive and check in at the airport.

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Sneaking Items through Airport security

One in 5 flyers who had their personal goods confiscated said the error had occurred because:

• “They forgot to take restricted items out of their hand luggage before heading to the airport.”

A further 25% said they had their items confiscated because:

• “They did not know that they had the item inside their luggage.”

Around 10% admitted they had ‘chanced their luck‘. They thought they would be able to sneak a few restricted items through airport security and the staff would not notice.

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