Hand-baggage restrictions put in place after Heathrow’s liquid-explosives scare in August 2006 are to be eased at 21 UK airports from tomorrow. But Gatwick will not be lifting the ban immediately – and is considering charging passengers for the privilege, The Sunday Times has learnt.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is allowing two items of hand luggage to be carried through security at all main Scottish airports, as well as Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Southampton, Southend and Stansted.

Bristol and Luton will not be lifting the restrictions because they lack the necessary infrastructure. Gatwick probably won’t be ready until March and has told airlines the operational cost of relaxing the rules is £128m over the next five years – and that it intends to pass this on. “These costs will almost certainly result in fare increases,” said EasyJet, which plans to fight “substantial proportional increases in airport charges” to be levied by Gatwick’s operator, BAA.

Airlines using Gatwick – which handled 32m passengers last year – are being asked to pay up to £2 per passenger over and above the price cap of £6.07 stipulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), generating up to £64m in extra revenue per year.

The CAA regulates how much Britain’s four largest airports – Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Stansted – can charge per passenger. For Gatwick, that fee is capped at £6.07 and “must take into account security costs”, according to the CAA.

“Carrying one bag through security – bearing in mind that many airlines allow only one item of hand luggage – is a basic service,” says the CAA. “BAA cannot legitimately charge airlines or passengers any extra for that. But they could argue that screening two bags per passenger is a value-added service – like fast-track security – and so charge only the airlines allowing passengers to carry more.”

EasyJet, Gatwick’s biggest customer, says it will fight the fee by continuing to limit hand luggage to one item. But then it would: the airline charges up to £8 for each checked bag.

AS CIVIL UNREST continues in Kenya, the Foreign Office has upgraded its advice to warn against all but essential travel to the country. Tour operators have responded by suspending all short-term departures there. Passengers will be offered alternative trips or full refunds, but for those who booked to go later this month, matters aren’t quite so straightforward.

Most operators say that normal booking conditions will apply, and those wishing to cancel their trips or change their destination will incur costs. “It’s a fast-moving situation,” said Kuoni, “but unless the Foreign Office advises against all travel to Kenya, there would still be a charge for those wishing to change their destination.”

Passengers currently in Kenya are expected to return on their scheduled departure date, and adventure travel companies Exodus, Explore, Gecko’s and Peregrine said passengers on overland trips would be flown over trouble spots.

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