Policies banning liquids on flights were implemented by the majority of international airlines following the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. However, with the increased security checks on beverages consumed in post-security zones, many countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., started allowing passengers to carry beverages purchased from post-security zones onto aircraft. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, July 4 (Korea Bizwire) – It’s been almost three months since the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) modified regulations to allow cold beverages purchased from post-security zones to be brought onto international flights.
The policy was implemented on April 12, and a recent survey revealed that the general satisfaction level of travelers and employees has significantly increased.
The MOLIT conducted a survey from June 13 to June 24 with the participation of 71 international flight passengers and 118 airline employees, and discovered that the overall level of satisfaction has increased from 12 percent to 65 percent.
Prior to the change, both travelers and employees reported satisfaction levels of 12 percent. However, satisfaction has increased to 56 percent for passengers and 70 percent for airline employees, indicating that the new approach has helped resolve customer inconvenience and improved the job satisfaction of workers.
The new policy not only allows passengers to board international flights with cold beverages, but also permits transit passengers to board with liquid products (such as liquor and cosmetics) that are not contained in ICAO-standard bags.
Prior to the revision, beverage products had to be disposed of before boarding the aircraft, which led to passenger inconvenience and occasional conflict with airline employees.
The same applied to duty free liquid products. A monthly average of 100 transit passengers (international to domestic) had to dispose of duty free purchases such as liquor and cosmetics when they were not packaged under ICAO standards. Some even had to give up their domestic flights and take the train or bus to their final destination.
But with the new policy, passengers can simply have the goods re-packaged at security checkpoints and board their transfer flights. Some 400 passengers have benefitted from the revision since April, and over 100 messages of positive feedback thanking the airport have been received from international passengers.
Policies banning liquids on flights were implemented by the majority of international airlines following the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. However, with the increased security checks on beverages consumed in post-security zones, many countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., started allowing passengers to carry beverages purchased from post-security zones onto aircraft.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
