Carry-on limits spelled out for airline passengers

Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2001 | 9:50 a.m.

McCarran International Airport on Wednesday will begin restricting the number of carry-on bags passengers can take aboard commercial flights, having laid the groundwork last week for a program federal officials have made mandatory at all airports.

McCarran spokeswoman Hilarie Grey on Monday said McCarran would limit carry-ons to one small travel bag plus one personal bag, such as a laptop computer, purse or diaper bag.

Also Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration further defined items that are not allowed in carry-on bags, including ice picks, baseball bats, golf clubs and hockey sticks.

Airline security has been at its highest level since last month's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington. Security is expected to remain at peak alert in the wake of Sunday's retaliatory attacks on Afghanistan.

Grey said efficiency is the presiding factor in regard to the new carry-on rule.

"At this time, we may be the busiest airport in the nation and, because of heightened security, the lines at the security gate are getting longer," Grey said, noting that peak-time waits at McCarran checkpoints are about one hour.

"We are in effect a test case. This could become part of a federal legislation package (limiting carry-ons)."

Under normal conditions, Grey said, McCarran security personnel process the bags of 25 passengers per minute through the X-ray machines. That number has been reduced to eight passengers per minute in recent weeks.

The size of carry-on bags will still be subject to individual airline rules and are based on the size of the overhead storage bins or the area under the seats. Grey recommended passengers consult the airlines for specific rules applying to carry-ons.

Also on Monday, the FAA clarified what items that carry-on bags can and cannot contain:

-- Prohibited: Carpet knives with spare blades, box cutters with spare blades, any item with a folding or retractable blade, ice picks, straight razors, metal scissors with pointed tips, metal nail files, corkscrews, baseball bats, golf clubs, pool cues, ski poles and hockey sticks.

-- Permitted: Walking canes, safety razors (including disposable types), syringes if the passenger has a documented medical need, nail clippers, tweezers, umbrellas and eyelash curlers.

Also on Monday, at about the time the FAA was announcing it was limiting carry ons, United Airlines, the nation's second largest airline, said it had instituted a policy of cutting down on the number of carry-on items.

The airline said it would begin restricting carry-on bags to one per person and would allow passengers to one personal item, such as a purse or briefcase.

The new rule, which is scheduled to go into effect at McCarran at 4 a.m. Wednesday, comes at a time when McCarran is starting to return to normally busy traffic while other major airports, such as Los Angeles International, are still operating at 40 percent to 50 percent, Grey said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.