Some snaps are in order (as Elle Woods would say) for Heathrow Airport, which just became our favourite place to jet off from after announcing that over the next 24 months it will be working to improve its security system.

You see, we love going on our jollies. With so much fantastic travel inspiration around (like boutique shopping in Amsterdam, beachfront villas in Vietnam and exploring in Iceland, for example) it’s hard not to have a touch of wanderlust.

But when we’re all packed up (we’ll be taking that cotton ASOS maxi and the must-have sellout Topshop sandals, by the way), the only thing that can get us down is sorting out our hand luggage, squishing all our beauty products into a tiny plastic bag and then getting it all through security – hands down the worst part of the airport experience.

Cue us squatting on the airport floor, contents of said hand luggage strewn around us, and attempting to bribe the person we’re travelling with so that they might take some of our precious lotions and potions into their own (undoubtedly) well-organised plastic bag.

This has pretty much always been our reality… until now, that is.

That’s right: Heathrow Airport has announced plans to do away with not only the fiddly plastic bag situation, but potentially the 100ml liquid rule altogether. How? Well, the airport is planning on investing £50m in CT scanners for its four terminals to make the security process easier, which are predicted to be in action by 2022 (if the term CT scanners rings a bell, it’s because this type of equipment – also known as computed tomography scanners – are already used in hospitals to scan patients).

Used on hand luggage, these CT devices will produce a far more detailed scan, which will allow security staff to check bags without the need for the removal of liquids or electronic devices (you will be able to leave your laptop in your bag, too).

Without the need for plastic bags (and potentially at some point decanters) the airport will be contributing to cut down in plastic, making the decision an eco-friendly one.

Speaking about the advancements, the aviation minister, Baroness Vere, said: “Passenger safety remains our top priority and this programme clearly shows the huge importance we place on security.

“This innovative new equipment will ensure Heathrow continues to provide a safe and smooth travel experience for passengers, as we look to roll out this new screening technology at airports across the country.”

Heathrow’s chief operations officer, Chris Garton added to BBC News: “This cutting-edge equipment will not only keep the airport safe with the latest technology, but will mean that our future passengers can keep their focus on getting on with their journeys and spend less time preparing for security screening.”

Right now Heathrow is the only airport in the UK planning on implementing the technology, but there are several airports in Europe that have been using it for a while, including Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. And members of the Stylist.co.uk team who have been through the Dutch security systems there can attest that the airport experience is darn better for it.

Hopefully the rest of the UK will follow suit, but for now we’ll be trying these ways to make our holidays more environmentally conscious.

Posted byMegan Murray Published  Images: Getty