Liquids authorised in accompanied baggage
Liquids authorised in accompanied baggage
"On departure from the French sector of the airport, a hand luggage inspector confiscated a 100 ml cream prescribed by my doctor. Ignoring my explanations, she demanded that I send this precious liquid to the hold on the grounds that only medicines to be taken during the flight would be allowed, despite the risk of loss due to a baggage handlers' strike in Paris; she went so far as to call the police when I protested, merely repeating that I had to know "IATA regulations". How can you defend your health in such circumstances?
Pascal
Unfortunately, you've come up against an incompetent employee, and there's hardly any practical way of protecting yourself from abuse of authority in this kind of situation other than to have a copy of the rules in force to read to your adversary!
Rest assured, we're not talking about the voluminous IATA codes, which are quite difficult to find and do not deal specifically with this subject, contrary to what this person seems to have told you, since the IATA site refers to the local rules of each airport concerning possible exemptions to the restriction on the carriage in the cabin of liquids exceeding 100 ml, in particular baby products and medicines.
In this respect, the French sector of Geneva airport complies with European Union regulations n°245/2013 and 246/2013, which are also applied by Switzerland.
These can be found on the www.gva.ch website, which, in the section on products authorised in hand luggage, clearly explains that medicines required on board for the duration of the journey are permitted, even if they contain more than 100 ml, while recommending that a prescription or medical certificate should be carried wherever possible. In addition, the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy has published a summary of the restrictions on liquids contained in cabin baggage, which you can print off from the www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr website to avoid similar mishaps.
You'll be relieved to know that the rule for your next trip is quite clear: liquids corresponding to medicines or products for medical use are authorised in the quantities required for the duration of the journey (outward journey, stay at the destination and return journey) and not just for the duration of the flight.
