Security - HKG

[Michael Cleary]

It seems that at HKG there is a different rule for taking LAG that has been obtained after passing through Security onto flights bound for Australia, in that a security search is performed in the bridge to the Aircraft, and any bottles of water are confiscated.

Does anyone know if there is something specific to HKG in this regard? It happens whether you are flying with CX or QF and there are signs placed at the Boarding gate stating that it is an Australian Government requirement.

Having traveled far and wide recently, including to and from the UK and the USA, I have not encountered this restriction. In Singapore, as long as you get the water after Security, it is OK too.

[Ryan N]

From my many flights out of HKG, I have only encountered this security search on Australia bound flights, and not to any other destinations.

[Jaryd stock]

I've experienced it whilst coming back from Phuket in 2007, even items brought from duty free were being confiscated as well...

[Ash W]

It seems that at HKG there is a different rule for taking LAG that has been obtained after passing through Security onto flights bound for Australia, in that a security search is performed in the bridge to the Aircraft, and any bottles of water are confiscated.

Does anyone know if there is something specific to HKG in this regard? It happens whether you are flying with CX or QF and there are signs placed at the Boarding gate stating that it is an Australian Government requirement.

Having traveled far and wide recently, including to and from the UK and the USA, I have not encountered this restriction. In Singapore, as long as you get the water after Security, it is OK too.

As the sign says it is an Australian Government requirement that bags need to be search at the gate and liquids over 100ml purchased before that screening are taken even if those liquids were purchased in that airport and are sealed.

This only applies on flights TO Australlia. So for example a Qantas flight DXB-LHR won't have this applied but DXB-SYD it will.

Different airports have different procedures though and as such how they implement the Australian government requirement for at gate screening is different.

For example Singapore and KL do full at the gate screening for all flights, so nothing looks out of the ordinary compared to non Australian bound flights, hence why you may not have noticed a difference in Singapore. The difference though is any duty free over 100ml purchased in the terminal will need to be delivered to the gate. Though am curious where you got water after security in Singapore, do they have vending machines as there are no shops.

In Bangkok security is centralised or in the transit lounge so a secondary hand screening is done at the gate but only for flights to Australia. They don't do the deliver to the gate thing so no purchase of liquids over 100ml is possible in BKK.

In Dubai they do at the gate screening, but won't deliver duty free to the gate. On EK and QF flights they will however pack it and put in the hold. This is then collected in Australia at the oversized baggage collection area.

In LAX (United terminal) if I recall they had centralised security and a secondary hand search at the gate. Duty free could be delivered to the gate. In the US delivery to the gate this is both a security measure and a customs measure owing to the fact they don't separate domestic and international departures.

Not sure about Hong Kong, I have only ever used it once and that was a few years ago travelling LHR-HKG-LHR. But by the sounds of it the procedure is similar to Bangkok.

The cynic in me says that this is a form of protection racket for the Australian duty free shops. For one it doesn't apply outbound, at the gate screening that (except for US flights, but here LAG's are ok), clearly staff in Australia are much more trust worthy than overseas. As the at the gate screening only applies inbound it kinda makes it a hassle or a risk to buy duty free overseas especially for the non frequent flyer who doesn't know what procedures apply where. Of course once you land in Oz you can buy all you want very easily.

No other country including the US apply them, so why Australia?

[Michael Cleary]

My recent experiences:

HKG - apart from flights to Australia , anything obtained airside can be carried on.
TPE - anything obtained airside can be carried on - even bound for Australia.
SIN - depends on the gate. Some gates (A1-A8 for example, as they have a common security point) in T3 have toilets, water fountains after security, as well as a stall selling drinks etc. Whatever is obtained there can be carried on.
NRT - anything obtained airside can be carried on - in fact the vending machines all have signs saying so.
SEA - anything obtained airside can be carried on.
LHR - T5 in my case - same as for SEA.

Must be the HKG interpretation of the requirements I suspect.

[Ash W]

LHR T5 doesn't have direct flights to Australia, so what happens there doesn't count. It is the last leg to Australia that does.

Here is an Australian Government website that explains the rules, though not how they are applies at the various airports.

http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/international/lags/dutyfree_to.aspx

[Ian Garton]

My recent experiences:

SIN - depends on the gate. Some gates (A1-A8 for example, as they have a common security point) in T3 have toilets, water fountains after security, as well as a stall selling drinks etc. Whatever is obtained there can be carried on.


My experience with those gates at SIN having a stall in the gate lounge is that drinks purchased there have to be consumed in the lounge only, and not taken on board.
I'm pretty sure that you can't take liquids on any flights out of Singapore.

[Kent Broadhead]

KLIA last year allowed water purchased past security onto the plane - no gate check.

[Ellis Taylor]

I was flying ZRH-DXB-SIN in June and the FA on the ZRH-DXB leg gave us a couple of (small) bottles of wine to take with us. However, when we got into the terminal from the remote bay and went through security screening they took it off us. I said that doesn't make sense as the wine had already been cleared onto the aircraft, so it was not like there was a security hazard. Still, not wanting to cause a fuss (plus they were free anyway) I just let them take it.

All to say that it's not just Australia that causes a fuss about LAGs.

[JamesL]

Ellis, that would of been due to your transition through the Security Restricted Area(airside), and thus why you were re screened into the sterile area(area between screening and the gate)

[JamesL]

In LAX I wasn't checked for LAGS last year...