During my trip to Europe in October, I reminded you that European airports are finally eliminating the 100mL liquid rules (many weren’t aware). Last week, the 100mL liquid rules were abolished at the London-Heathrow airport (LHR), the busiest in Europe (and #6 in the world).
It’s helpful for trips in Europe, but it’s honestly already pretty easy to travel with carry-ons only, with about 10 containers of 100mL liquids (and even 20 if you really want to). I always do it, and I’ve taken 600+ flights. Tips at the end of this article.
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Here are the details on the abolition of the 100mL liquid rules at the London-Heathrow airport.
What is the new liquids rule at London-Heathrow?
As when I was in Dublin, the new rules allow a maximum size of 2L for liquid containers, and there’s no limit to the number of liquid containers allowed. You don’t need to take them out at security either.
Here’s the photo I took and shared on my Instagram stories (where I share all my travels) that surprised many travelers who weren’t aware of Europe’s plans.
These are the same rules at the London-Heathrow airport. It’s the new standard for liquids in Europe, although it’s far from widespread yet. That’s a lot of change; remember that Canadians will need an electronic travel authorization for much of Europe in 2026 (the United Kingdom will require it in February).
This new liquids rule can be useful to bring back products as souvenirs, for example.
It was actually at London-Heathrow, in 2006, that there was an attempted bombing that led to the implementation of the 100mL liquids rules worldwide. Those are now often considered to be security theater.
One thing is certain: it’s clearly excellent news that these liquids rules are finally starting to be abolished after 2 decades.
Why are the 100mL liquids rules being abolished?
The new machines at security checkpoints (CT scanners) are advanced enough that there’s no longer a need to have a restriction on the quantity of liquids, nor such a strict restriction on the maximum size of each liquid.
European governments have decided to invest in new technology to make travelers’ lives easier and to improve security.
The new rule started being implemented several months ago, but it’s still very far from widespread! It’s not abolished everywhere. There are actually very few airports where it’s abolished for now.
It will eventually be abolished everywhere, but not right away.
So, now you unfortunately have to check your airport’s rules (and even your specific terminal’s sometimes), if you don’t want to have to limit yourself to the 1L bag containing individual liquids of 100mL or less. Obviously, having to check is still much better than having the same strict rule everywhere!
Which European airports have abolished the 100mL liquids rule?
There’s unfortunately no official list of all European airports that have abolished the rule. If enough of you ask for it in this article’s comments, we could create that list ourselves to help other travelers.
So here’s an incomplete and imperfect list (better than nothing):
- England
- London-Heathrow (LHR)
- London-Gatwick (LGW)
- Birmingham (BHX)
- Bristol (BRS)
- Scotland
- Edinburgh (EDI)
- Ireland
- Dublin (DUB)
- Italy
- Rome (FCO)
- Milan-Malpensa (MXP) *Terminal 1 only
- Milan-Bergamo (BGY)
- Milan-Linate (LIN)
- Bologna (BLQ)
- Torino (TRN) *Fast-track lane only
- Germany
- Frankfurt (FRA) *Specific lanes only
- Munich (MUC) *Specific lanes only
- Denmark
- Billund (BLL)
- Malta
- Malta (MLA)
- Poland
- Kraków (KRK)
- Poznań (POZ)
- Lithuania
- Vilnius (VNO)
- Kaunas (KUN)
- Romania
- Cluj-Napoca (CLJ)
This all started in 2025, so the list will certainly grow in 2026.
Will Canada soon abolish the 100mL liquids rule?
Hahahahahaha, your optimism about the efficiency and modernity of the Canadian government apparatus is really cute!
Unfortunately, it seems that here in Canada, you’re going to need our tips below on how to travel with the 100mL liquids rules for quite a while longer.
In the United States, too, by the way.
Unlike Europe, the Canadian government certainly has no formal public plan regarding the abolition of the 100mL liquids rules.
The CATSA (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority) announced that it was installing the new scanners in 2024, but there was absolutely no mention of removing the 100mL liquids rule. There hasn’t really been an update since, either.
The new machines have been installed in several Canadian airports, including in major ones like Toronto, Montréal, and 8 others. But all that has changed is that you no longer need to take out your 1L bag containing individual liquids of maximum 100mL (nor your laptop).
(Which was already not necessary if you’re a savvy traveler who has NEXUS to speed up your experience at customs and security checkpoints in Canada and the US; I chatted with former NHLer P.K. Subban in the priority lane this Tuesday, so travel like a celebrity by getting NEXUS!😂)
Many think the government doesn’t want to have different rules depending on the airport and is instead waiting for the machines to be installed absolutely everywhere.
If that’s the case, it means the government thinks Canadians are less intelligent than Europeans, who are quite capable of having different rules depending on the airport…
Or maybe it’s that government-run security is just not as efficient (most European airport security checkpoints are run by private companies).
Anyway, to be continued. Flytrippers will certainly keep you posted. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much in the short term if I were you.
How to travel with the 100mL liquids rules?
I want to give you a teaser with a photo of my liquids bag, because many have so often asked me for my tips to be a flight pro and travel without checked bags and I unfortunately haven’t yet made detailed content about it.
I’ve taken 600+ flights and I never have checked baggage. I travel light for all my trips because I’m a flight pro; regardless of the destination, regardless of the duration, regardless of the season!
Kevin, Flytrippers’ other co-founder, is a digital nomad who travels 12 months per year with carry-on bags only!
And it’s not just to save on bag fees.
As I said, it’s more affordable, sure… but more enjoyable, too. Even more important. For example, in my 9 business class flights of 2025, I was always allowed multiple free checked bags. I never brought one. I travel light, even just for the more enjoyable part.
There are so many good reasons to do it: save a lot of time, make your movements easier at your destinations, get priority for rebookings during flight disruptions, and a lot more that I’ll share in our detailed guide on the topic soon.
And it’s really easier to do than what you believe.
The short version is that you just need to bring fewer things quite simply. It’s not rocket science! 😅
But it’s definitely difficult the 1st time… like anything in life that you do for the 1st time! And it’s normal when you’re so used to bringing too many things. Humans are generally terrible at adapting to change (which, by the way, is really not a quality).
The idea that it’s “not doable” is absolutely ridiculous, though. If you don’t want to, that’s perfectly fine. But you definitely can. It’s totally absurd to say otherwise!
Even now that my girlfriend has converted me into a skincare fan and I have a 4-product routine… it’s still easy to comply with the 100mL liquids rules.
You’re allowed 1 bag (1L) with individual liquid containers (under 100mL).
That gives you around 10 container slots, or even a bit more if many are small. There’s a pro tip to double this number; I’ll get back to that in a few seconds.
Here’s what’s in my liquids bag for most of my trips:
Not particularly difficult. That’s a lot of liquids you can bring!
Here’s what that looks like.
It closes just barely, but I never close them. And honestly, in 600+ flights, it has only happened to be 1 time that a zealous agent forced me to actually close my bag. I simply emptied my $1 worth of mouthwash, and that’s it. Who cares.
Small pro tip for 1-2 extra liquids, before the real tip to double your liquids: medium plastic bags (like those from Walmart) are a bit bigger, but not enough for it to be an issue.
I always use those, and never has any agent insisted that I use the official CATSA bags.
Another trick is to take advantage of the fact that some products are available in non-liquid versions, rather than bringing another liquid.
In my case, I bring:
That allows you to not waste liquids slots for no reason.
But above all, the most important thing to understand is that it’s so easy to buy almost anything at your destination!
It won’t cost more than here, and it will certainly cost even less if you simply follow our best travel recommendation: choosing more affordable countries!
Anyway, one of my favorite things to do first on arrival in the 75+ countries I’ve visited is to make a quick stop at the store to buy snacks and get a sense of the prices. So it’s easy to buy what’s missing.
I almost always travel solo, too; that’s the highest difficulty level for packing light. It’s even easier when you don’t travel solo, because with 2 people, it’s obviously easier to share certain products (like bringing only 1 tube of toothpaste).
When I need more liquids slots, the toothpaste and mouthwash are obviously the best to sacrifice (the cheapest and easiest to buy in any country).
For example, sometimes I need more than 1 sunscreen or a mosquito spray. That, in many countries, is going to cost a lot more (because travelers are the only ones buying that). So I prioritize bringing that toothpaste, obviously.
If you are attached to certain specific products, you simply prioritize those in your liquids slots. My girlfriend insists on her special shampoo for curly hair, so she brings that in her toothpaste slot and shares my toothpaste.
I’m satisfied with hotel shampoos, but if not, I’d do the same. And so on.
There’s also a pro trick that’s more “risky,” and that goes against the rules.
But it doubles this quantity of liquids and makes it downright impossible not to succeed. The “risk” is only having to throw away products, which isn’t the end of the world either…
I’ve tried this trick only a few times (because I usually don’t have any difficulties with my liquids bag; it was always to try and bring back stuff), but it has always worked.
Here’s how to do it: you obviously are allowed 2 carry-on bags in all countries. You put 1 liquids bag in each bag. You prepare them at the top of the bag so that you can subtly and quickly take 1 out when the employees aren’t looking at you.
They therefore can’t know that the 2 liquids bags are yours. If you get caught, it’s easy to play dumb and say you didn’t know the rules; there are so many travelers who have no clue what they’re doing! Very subtle.
It goes against the rules, obviously (you’re allowed 1 bag per person), but maybe you don’t care about following rules. I like to give all the information and let adults decide for themselves like grown-ups!
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Summary
The London-Heathrow airport (LHR) has finally abolished the 100mL liquids rules, like other European airports. It’s excellent news, especially since it’s the busiest airport in Europe!
What would you like to know about the London-Heathrow airport liquids rule? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Dublin rules and my liquids bag (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
