Manchester Airport tells flyers not to put Christmas puds in hand luggage

Flyers should pack Christmas puddings in hold baggage not hand luggage to avoid them being mistaken for bombs in airport security x-ray machines.

The warning is one of several tips from Manchester Airport to help passengers get to the departure gate on time during the busy Christmas holiday period.

Snow globes and condiments such as jam need to be in a clear sealable bag, along with other hand luggage items containing liquids, gels or pastes, which shouldn’t exceed 100ml each.

Christmas crackers are banned in hand luggage by most carriers, although some will allow one box per passenger, so customers need to check their airline’s policy.

Passengers should also wait to wrap Christmas presents on arrival at their destination as, if luggage requires a full search, security staff may upwrap gifts to check their contacts.

The tips are included in Manchester airport’s huMan Advent Calendar on social media channels, which also includes giveaways and destination inspiration.

Other advice includes taking off winter wear before reaching security to help save time; booking airline assistance in advance for people with reduced mobility and to leave plenty of time to get to the airport in wintery weather.

If in doubt about particular items, passengers should check them into hold luggage, the airport said.

Manchester Airport customer services and security director Lee Wasnidge said: "Safety and security are just as important at this time of year as any other.

"We see an increase in passengers carrying unusual items, often as gifts for friends and family or as part of Christmas traditions.

"They can unwittingly end up falling foul of hand luggage regulations and the last thing we want to see is gifts being unwrapped or prevented or prevented from passing through security and making the journey to their end destination."

"We encourage all of our passengers to review the advice we are providing to ensure they pass through security smoothly and do not have to leave any presents or other items behind."

The airport is expecting 1.2 million passengers to pass through between December 19 and January 5, with Friday December 20 set to be the busiest day, with passenger numbers topping 82,600.

Sunday December 29 and Friday December 27 are predicted to see 80,400 and 78,500 passengers respectively.

The five most popular destinations, in descending order, are Dublin, Dubai, Amsterdam, Tenerife and Doha.