Hand Luggage

THE alleged terrorist plot uncovered last week has changed the rules for travelers yet again. British authorities arrested about two dozen people suspected of plotting to blow up airliners flying from Britain to the U.S. Liquid explosives reportedly were to have been taken onboard in beverage and other containers, and then detonated with electronic devices. The U.S. reacted by prohibiting passengers from taking liquids and gels into aircraft cabins, and Britain banned carry-on bags entirely.

Ryanair Holdings, Europe's largest low-cost airline, will bar passengers from traveling with anything other than hand luggage as it seeks to cut costs. Ryanair plans to offer an unlimited allowance for carry-on bags that comply with government size limits while abolishing checked luggage, starting next spring, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said. "This isn't the end of civilization as we know it, it only sounds revolutionary," he said. Passengers will carry belongings onto the plane; when overhead bins are full items will go in the cargo hold.

About 600 emeralds worth around $300,000 were stolen from the hand luggage of a Colombian flying from Milan to Zurich, police said Saturday. The man could not say whether the jewels had been taken from his travel bag at Milan airport or removed from the overhead locker on the aircraft where he left the bag while he dozed.

THE alleged terrorist plot uncovered last week has changed the rules for travelers yet again. British authorities arrested about two dozen people suspected of plotting to blow up airliners flying from Britain to the U.S. Liquid explosives reportedly were to have been taken onboard in beverage and other containers, and then detonated with electronic devices. The U.S. reacted by prohibiting passengers from taking liquids and gels into aircraft cabins, and Britain banned carry-on bags entirely.

Police arrested a man who tried to board an airliner with guns and grenades hidden inside wine bottles in his hand luggage. He was ordered held in custody for eight days by a Cyprus court Thursday.

Lufthansa, West Germany's national airline, has begun weighing its passengers. To provide up-to-date statistics on the average weight of today's flying public, Lufthansa is asking passengers at its airport terminals in Frankfurt, New York and Bangkok, Thailand, to step on the scales with their hand luggage before boarding. The weigh-in is voluntary and will last only for a limited period.

A 26-year-old Lebanese was arrested at Milan airport carrying 24 pounds of plastic explosives in his luggage, police said. The man, identified as Bakhir Khodr, arrived on a flight from Beirut via Geneva and had passed through Italian customs before being stopped by police, who were suspicious about his hand luggage. The explosives were hidden inside two picture frames Khodr was carrying and in several Easter eggs in his baggage.

A La Mesa man was arrested Monday at a Lindbergh Field security checkpoint for claiming to have a bomb in a carry-on bag and threatening airport security, San Diego Harbor Police said. No bomb was found in the hand luggage of John A. Montello, 29, but he was arrested and booked into County Jail downtown on suspicion of making a false bomb statement and for assault, Harbor Police Sgt. Gary Leeson said. The incident occurred about 9 a.m.

Working in a job where I come into contact with people who have lost their passports and other valuables, I have always been amazed at how many of these items are lost or stolen at airports . . . or even on the planes themselves. The travelers usually say their valuables were in their hand luggage, which they set down for "just a minute," and which disappeared. I often wondered, but felt it would imply criticism to ask, how it happened that tickets and money were in their hand luggage.

Anti-terrorist detectives today arrested an Arab suspected of slipping a 10-pound bomb in his pregnant girlfriend's luggage just before she was to board an Israeli jumbo jet at Heathrow Airport, Scotland Yard said. Detectives said the bomb would have gone off during the El Al flight, killing all 388 aboard, including his chambermaid girlfriend. Police said the man, Nezar Hindawi, 35, was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. at a hotel in West London after police received a tip.

Working in a job where I come into contact with people who have lost their passports and other valuables, I have always been amazed at how many of these items are lost or stolen at airports . . . or even on the planes themselves. The travelers usually say their valuables were in their hand luggage, which they set down for "just a minute," and which disappeared. I often wondered, but felt it would imply criticism to ask, how it happened that tickets and money were in their hand luggage.

A La Mesa man was arrested Monday at a Lindbergh Field security checkpoint for claiming to have a bomb in a carry-on bag and threatening airport security, San Diego Harbor Police said. No bomb was found in the hand luggage of John A. Montello, 29, but he was arrested and booked into County Jail downtown on suspicion of making a false bomb statement and for assault, Harbor Police Sgt. Gary Leeson said. The incident occurred about 9 a.m.

If you're gearing up for a holiday visit to Aunt Martha in Pittsburgh, a Vail ski trip or a Caribbean vacation, better take some precautions to protect your bags. Although you can't prevent the airlines from losing them, you can do simple things to make it less likely that they'll totally vanish into Lost Luggage Land. In modern air travel, "the No.

About 600 emeralds worth around $300,000 were stolen from the hand luggage of a Colombian flying from Milan to Zurich, police said Saturday. The man could not say whether the jewels had been taken from his travel bag at Milan airport or removed from the overhead locker on the aircraft where he left the bag while he dozed.

A 26-year-old Lebanese was arrested at Milan airport carrying 24 pounds of plastic explosives in his luggage, police said. The man, identified as Bakhir Khodr, arrived on a flight from Beirut via Geneva and had passed through Italian customs before being stopped by police, who were suspicious about his hand luggage. The explosives were hidden inside two picture frames Khodr was carrying and in several Easter eggs in his baggage.

A U.S. diplomat was detained briefly at Larnaca airport Friday when he tried to board a British Airways flight to London with a pistol in his hand luggage, Cypriot security sources said. The diplomat, whose name was not revealed, was described by the sources as a security expert accredited to Lebanon, who arrived in Cyprus two days ago after a two-month tour in Beirut. He was allowed to leave on the flight after depositing his gun with the British captain.

If you're gearing up for a holiday visit to Aunt Martha in Pittsburgh, a Vail ski trip or a Caribbean vacation, better take some precautions to protect your bags. Although you can't prevent the airlines from losing them, you can do simple things to make it less likely that they'll totally vanish into Lost Luggage Land. In modern air travel, "the No.

A U.S. diplomat was detained briefly at Larnaca airport Friday when he tried to board a British Airways flight to London with a pistol in his hand luggage, Cypriot security sources said. The diplomat, whose name was not revealed, was described by the sources as a security expert accredited to Lebanon, who arrived in Cyprus two days ago after a two-month tour in Beirut. He was allowed to leave on the flight after depositing his gun with the British captain.

Anti-terrorist detectives today arrested an Arab suspected of slipping a 10-pound bomb in his pregnant girlfriend's luggage just before she was to board an Israeli jumbo jet at Heathrow Airport, Scotland Yard said. Detectives said the bomb would have gone off during the El Al flight, killing all 388 aboard, including his chambermaid girlfriend. Police said the man, Nezar Hindawi, 35, was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. at a hotel in West London after police received a tip.

Police arrested a man who tried to board an airliner with guns and grenades hidden inside wine bottles in his hand luggage. He was ordered held in custody for eight days by a Cyprus court Thursday.