That's Not a Bomb, It's a Bottle of Bourbon

If you dream of the day when you’ll once again breeze through airport security with your Head & Shoulders and anti-itch cream safely tucked away in a carry-on instead of a Ziploc bag for all the world to see, take note: Help is on the way. In Europe, airlines and groups representing airport shops and restaurants are agitating for advanced security scanners that can sniff out liquid explosives inside luggage. In theory, that means travelers would be free to bring water bottles, booze, and full-sized toiletries aboard—without having to open their bags for screening—since the devices could tell the difference between a canister of liquid explosives and that bottle of Chanel No. 5 you think you got a deal on at the duty-free shop. There is only thing that could spoil this idyllic scene—no such machine exists.

Americans have largely met each new airport security rule with a sigh of acquiescence. Not so in Europe, where politicians have been deluged with complaints from Duty Free shop owners who say they’re losing sales on perfumes and liquor, and angry passengers who’ve had their belongings confiscated by security guards. The EU’s governing body has given airports until Apr. 29, 2013, to install scanners that will ease restrictions on liquids at European airports without compromising security. There are already machines that can detect liquid explosives as long as they aren’t buried inside luggage. Those would be fine under the EU’s new rule; but the air travel industry is keeping up pressure for more sophisticated scanners. The hope is that by the time the rule takes effect, technology that can pick out harmful substances inside carry-on bags will be ready. At least, “that’s what a lot of the airport operators are holding out for,” says Ben Vogel, editor of Jane’s Airport Review magazine in London.