EU official presses airports to offer cheap water

BERLIN - A European Union official says she's trying to get airports to offer cheap water for travelers after they've been through security checks.

Air travelers in the EU aren't allowed to take liquids in containers larger than 100 milliliters through security checks. That effectively means passengers wanting to take water on their flight have to buy it in departure lounges, where it's sometimes considerably more expensive than in normal shops.

EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc was quoted yesterday as telling Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper that talks are taking place.

She said 126 European airports accounting for 50 percent of passenger volume say they're prepared to offer bottles of water for 1 euro ($1.10) just beyond security checks, but "our aim is for all airports to do that if possible."