Liquid Limits On Planes Will Likely Last Until 2040, TSA Says

There’s been some chatter that the TSA’s rule on liquids might be changing. Right now, you can only bring liquids, gels, or aerosols in containers that are 3.4 ounces (or 100 milliliters) or smaller through security. This rule, known as the “3-1-1” rule, has been around for a while.

According to the TSA, in 2006, the U.S. and U.K. stopped a plot to blow up planes using liquid explosives hidden in carry-on bags. To prevent this, the TSA introduced the 3-1-1 rule, which was supposed to be temporary but has stuck around for almost 20 years.

RELATED: Peanut Butter: TSA Considers It A Liquid, But Why?

Travel + Leisure reported that the TSA might increase the three ounces of liquid rule. They said talks of this change likely started because of a shift in the U.K. The U.K. began using new scanners in 2022 that can handle larger amounts of liquids. Allowing as many liquids as passengers wanted in containers of up to two liters.

These scanners, called Computed Tomography (CT) units, can determine different liquids more easily. A handful of airports, including London City, successfully implemented the scanners. The early adopters saw the new machines as a competitive advantage, as many British airports are known for being sticklers about fitting all your liquids in a clear, quart-sized bag.

In June, the government said that all airports, even those with the new scanners, will stick to the 100-milliliter limit.

The same goes for airports in Europe. Despite the new scanners having been rolled out at several airports in Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and more, Europe followed the U.K.'s lead last week and announced the 100 limit was coming back.

While there is reasonable hope that this is a temporary setback in Europe, the change is not happening anytime soon for the U.S.

"TSA is still deploying Computed Tomography (CT) units that are capable of screening larger sizes of liquids, however the agency will not be able to change the current 3-1-1 liquids rule for some time to come, because there are about 2,000 screening lanes in about 430 airports,” a TSA spokesperson confirmed to Travel + Leisure.

"We are anticipating that it may not be until 2040 that we have CT units fully deployed across the nation and have the capability of changing the requirement across the system."

So, it looks like we might be stuck with the 3-1-1 rule for another 16 years before we can bring bigger liquids on planes.