TRAVEL WARNING
Overview
Hand baggage rules in international air traffic for the EU and Switzerland Air
passengers departing from airports within the European Union and Switzerland are only allowed to take limited quantities of liquids, aerosols and gels with them in hand baggage. These include drinks, toothpaste, hair gel, perfume, shaving foam, soups, syrups and other items of similar consistency.
The following rules must be observed:
– Only containers for liquids that do not exceed a maximum capacity of 100 ml may be carried in hand luggage.
– All liquid containers must be kept together in a sealable, transparent plastic bag, which must not exceed a total volume of a maximum of 1 liter.
– Liquid medication and baby food may also be carried if they are needed on the flight. If necessary, the passenger must prove the authenticity of the medication / baby food.
– Exceptions: The restrictions do not apply to all liquids that were only purchased after the hand baggage check in an airport in the European Union, are packed in a tamper-evident container and a receipt is available on that day. This applies in particular to purchases in the duty-free shops in the departure area.
New regulation since April 29, 2011, suspended for a limited time:
Liquids, aerosols and gels purchased at a third country airport (outside the EU) or on board an aircraft operated by a non-EU airline are allowed in security areas and on board aircraft if they
– are in a container that complies with the recommended guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization for Security Controls (ICAO) and
– sufficient proof of purchase is provided within the previous 36 hours on the airside of the airport or on board the aircraft.
This means that liquids, aerosols and gels are allowed in hand luggage if they were purchased in a non-EU airport behind the boarding pass control or in the security area. The point of sale must be subject to the approved security procedures that are part of the airport security program.
Items prohibited in hand luggage
A detailed list of items prohibited in hand luggage when traveling by air can be found on the website of the German Federal Police (Internet: www.bundespolizei.de). These include firearms, stunning devices, pointed or sharp objects (including knives / scissors with blades more than 6 cm long), tools that can cause serious injuries, blunt objects that can be used as a striking weapon, as well as explosives and incendiary materials.
LANGUAGE
Overview
According to philosophynearby, the official language is German. Standard German is used as the standard language in the national media and as a written language. The numerous regional dialects sometimes differ greatly from High German, although the use of the dialect is common in the southern German-speaking area. A large part of the population speaks the foreign language English. French, Spanish, Russian and Latin are also taught in schools. In western North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, Dutch is also often offered. In some schools, students can learn Chinese or Italian.
There is a Danish minority in the north of Schleswig-Holstein, and Danish is part of the school language. A Sorbian minority lives in Brandenburg and Saxony, and Sorbian, a Slavic language, is the language of instruction at around 50 schools. Other minority languages are Frisian (in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony) and Romanes (minority language of the Sinti and Roma). Low German (Plattdeutsch) is a regional language in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Bremen and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well as in North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt.
Due to the high number of immigrants, Turkish (approx. 2 million native speakers), Russian (approx. 3-4 million native speakers) and Polish are also widespread.
German is one of 23 official languages and, alongside English and French, one of the working languages of the European Union (EU). It is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the EU and the second most widely spoken language after English (native and foreign speakers).