Airplane liquid limits could ease in 2009

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Airline security officials said travelers likely will be able to resume carrying large bottles of liquids onto airplanes some time in 2009.

The Transportation Security Administration is expected to lift restrictions next fall that limit passengers to carrying 3-ounce bottles of liquids, gels or aerosols into airplane cabins, USA Today reported Tuesday.

Passengers still would remove liquids from carry-on bags at airport checkpoints and so they can pass through X-ray machines separately, the agency's Web site said. By the end of 2010, passengers should be able to keep liquids as they go through checkpoints, the newspaper said.

"That's a major milestone for security," TSA spokesman Christopher White told USA Today. "We're confident it's going to happen in 2009."

The changes are expected because better technology will enable checkpoint X-ray machines to spot dangerous liquids, TSA said.