Hard rules limiting travellers to a single item of hand baggage could be eased off before Christmas, reports the Mirror newspaper.

The restriction has been attacked for causing long checks and luggage issues at Heathrow as well as other key airports in the UK.

Restrictions were imposed by the Ministers when a terrorist plan to blow up airliners was uncovered last year. After some time, the restrictions were relaxed allowing travellers to carry only a small hand baggage with them while they travel. Other nations did not administer similar rules, and Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is holding talks with airport authorities to end the limits within the following weeks, to a senior Whitehall source says.

According the newspaper, Transport Secretary could end the one-bag restriction within a few weeks before Christmas break.

Mrs. Kelly has earlier made it very clear that the one bag restriction would be ended only on one condition and that is when she will be assured that it would not result in further checks at the airport security.

Recently, a trial for carrying two bags has been tried out at Heathrow, and another bright side would be that the one-bag restriction is trimmed away, with the permission for first class and business travellers to take more than one bag firstly, and to all travelers later (subject to the rules of the carrier).

This is not likely to be common with normal economy fliers, but other carriers have a one bag limit in economy however.