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Five-year-old Rebecca Jin had to leave her favorite doll at Beijing Capital International Airport yesterday, after airport security officials found that it contained liquid.
Rebecca's mother Jin Zhaohui, 35, finally persuaded her daughter to give up the doll by promising to buy her a new one in the United States.
"We knew that liquids and gels were forbidden on airplanes before we got here," said Jin, who was traveling with her three children on a United Airlines flight yesterday afternoon.
However, she did not expect that the doll, a "Fairy Barbie," contained liquid in its wings.
As Rebecca liked the doll very much and did not want to leave it at first, airport staff and her mother tried to cut the wings open to let the liquid flow out. But as they lacked suitable tools, they had to give up.
"There are many similar cases happening at the moment. People read the news about liquids and gels banned on flights to the United States, but they just do not reckon their face cream, lip balm or medicine is in the forbidden category," said Yang Yan, a United Airlines employee working at the airport.
Despite feeling exhausted after working non-stop for the past few days, she said she was pleased that most passengers were showing understanding and following her advice.
Due to tighter security checks, check-in time has increased.
"Security departments used to check an average 240 passengers per hour, now they can only check about 130 passengers," said Li Wei, who is in charge of security checks for flights to the US.
"Our staff are working over time. They do not even have time to go to the washroom or drink some water," said Li.
In order to ease pressure on the 21 staff at channels 15 to 18 where passengers for the United States pass through, Li has added 10 more personnel.
There are also three guides handing out leaflets in the international departure hall and suggesting passengers, especially women, put their cosmetics into checked luggage before it is too late.
At present, no flights leaving Beijing for the United States have been cancelled since British police last Thursday foiled a terrorist plot to blow up aircraft between the United States and Britain.
In Shanghai, tightened security measures seemed to have little impact on operations at Shanghai's two airports, authorities said yesterday.
"Everything is going smoothly in both Hongqiao and Pudong airports. There have been no cancellations or delays. Passengers are very co-operative when we carry out our security checks," said a spokesman surnamed Huang from Shanghai Airport Group, which manages the two airports.
"Our security measures have been very strict, even without warnings of terrorist attacks. Compared with London, we have a much easier task," he added.
Special measures were mainly taken for flights to destinations in the United States, including forbidding passengers from bringing liquids onto the planes.
Such measures will remain until the General Administration of Civial Aviation of China gives instructions to cancel them, he said.
(China Daily August 15, 2006)
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