Carry-on Baggage Screening

Baggage screening is an important measure to improve your security when flying on screened services within Australia. If you refuse to allow the security screening officer to screen your carry-on bags you will not be permitted to board the aircraft.

Your carry-on bags may be screened in a number of ways, including:

• X-ray examination;
• testing for chemical residues using Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) equipment; or
• physical search.

There are a number of steps that you can take to make the screening process quicker and easier. Make sure that mobile phones, keys, coins, and metallic decorative items are either placed in your carry-on baggage or in the small trays provided at the screening point. You should also remove your laptop computer from its case and place it in one of the trays provided.

Please remember that certain items are not permitted onboard and will not be allowed past the screening point. You will have to surrender any prohibited items or weapons at the security screening point if you are unable to make other arrangements, like leaving them with a family member or friend. Better still, check with your airline beforehand to find out what you can’t take onboard, and either leave it at home, or pack it in your checked baggage, if permitted.

If you have a non-standard camera or film, please discuss how these can be examined with the officer at the security screening point. You should also let the security screening officer know if you have any medically necessary syringes in your baggage.