Manchester Airport Security

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Alastair Smith

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I recently travelled to Australia and at each airport security told them I had a pump and could they hand-scan me,which they all did UNTIL I arrived back at Manchester and went through security before my final flight home.

I approached the full body scanner and said I was wearing a pump and would rather not go through on the advice of the pump supplier. I was told it was OK, I repeated my line, I was asked if I knew what rays the scanner used, I said no but....., I was told he had a diabetic brother with a pump who went through and I said, but I’ve been advised..... The guy then, at the top of his voice said 'So are you refusing to go through the scanner?', I repeated my line and he shouted for assistance to carry out personal search of passenger in a side room to which I was escorted.


I was very annoyed at this public humiliation and considering I had passed through security in Belfast, Birmingham, Dubai, Perth, Singapore without a problem I wrote to Manchester Airport to complain and I am still waiting 6 weeks later for any reply.
 
Welcome!
I am not a pump user but have read a few complaints about problems at airports! Not just here but in the US!
 
We nearly had a similar situation at East Midlands last year. The chap kept saying that it was fine for any electrical items to go through the body scanner, he claimed the person in there at the time had a heart pacemaker and it wasn't hurting him. I tried to point out that I've been advised not to put the pump through but he wasn't having it, until I got out the letter from our DSN that we carry which explains all of this - he didn't even bother to read it, just fetched his supervisor, who agreed to carry the pump around the scanner, do her swab checks on it and give it back to us the other side. I can understand why they are nervous, it's an electrical device with liquid inside, it looks like a bomb! But that doesn't excuse rudeness does it, and as pumps become more common you'd think they would start to get used to them!

I have actually been told by a techy person at Accu Chek that it's perfectly OK to put pumps through any x-ray machines or scanners as long as you take the battery out; as my daughter's life depends on her pump though I don't think I want to take the risk thank youo_O
 
Is it alright as long as you take the battery out? I have just come back from a holiday - border crossing in Lithuania, Finland and Russia - no-one made me go through the scanner. We need this to be a bit higher profile I think.

My complaint was with the food I got on board the return flight, several items had the full nutritional information per 100g (as per EU/UK regulations) but NO WEIGHT!! Impossible! In 2013 my MP involved Anna Soubry, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Public Health. She wrote to me, and a line in her letter said -
"…we anticipate that in practice the majority of producers in the UK will continue to express this information per portion or per consumption unit as well”
I followed this up with examples of where it clearly didn't happen, but heard nothing ever again. This is another of my 'this is SO irritating' issues, I do think it's another case of no accommodation for 'disability' ie not the same as everyone else (??)

Sorry, I've hijacked your post - I agree with you wholeheartedly, bad behaviour on the part of Manchester, staff training required at the very least.
 
Never had any problems with security 🙂 Been in Manchester Airport lots. You must have got an awkward one on the day o_O
 
I had a similar problem at Heathrow Terminal 5 last month. The security man kept insisting that it was safe and I was equally persistent in stating that I had been advised by the pump manufacturer (and it's on Medtronic's website) that it wasn't. Eventually a supervisor was called and I was taken off to a private room for a full pat down. Why that couldn't have been done at the machine (as was done whenever it had happened before) is beyond me. Everyone was very polite though, but it was annoying as it took so long and my hand baggage was left at the X-ray machine while all this took place.

I've printed off a copy of the relevant page of Medtronic's website to take with me in future. It just all adds to the stress and hassle of air travel.
 
Looking at it from the other side, if diabetics with pumps are not given a rigorous check, then a terrorist could well cotton on to the fact. There might even be diabetic terrorists. Yes, it is a nuisance for the innocent traveller but it is a necessary evil. Last year I needed to use the airports wheelchair and one of their staff was wheeling me. Not only did I need to go through the checks but so did the wheelchair and the member of staff. He had to take his belt of, jacket off, anything loose in the basket. He told me that he has to go through that every time he is wheeling a passenger and so does the wheel chair, as once he goes back out of security to get the next passenger he and the chair become security risks again. The patient's life depends on the pump but it also depends on good security.
 
Lilian said:
Looking at it from the other side, if diabetics with pumps are not given a rigorous check, then a terrorist could well cotton on to the fact. There might even be diabetic terrorists. Yes, it is a nuisance for the innocent traveller but it is a necessary evil. Last year I needed to use the airports wheelchair and one of their staff was wheeling me. Not only did I need to go through the checks but so did the wheelchair and the member of staff. He had to take his belt of, jacket off, anything loose in the basket. He told me that he has to go through that every time he is wheeling a passenger and so does the wheel chair, as once he goes back out of security to get the next passenger he and the chair become security risks again. The patient's life depends on the pump but it also depends on good security.
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I'm not suggesting for one moment that pumpers (like everyone else) shouldn't be given rigorous checks. Indeed, at almost every airport I now get a swab check for explosives - which most other travellers only get on a random basis - and I have no problem with that. I do wish though that there was some consistency between airports and that the security people are properly trained. I travel quite a bit and the variation in treatment is staggering. And this was the first time that I was taken off to a private room for a pat down. Thank goodness the security man wasn't reaching for the rubber gloves when I went in.
 
m1dnc said:
I'm not suggesting for one moment that pumpers (like everyone else) shouldn't be given rigorous checks. Indeed, at almost every airport I now get a swab check for explosives - which most other travellers only get on a random basis - and I have no problem with that. I do wish though that there was some consistency between airports and that the security people are properly trained. I travel quite a bit and the variation in treatment is staggering. And this was the first time that I was taken off to a private room for a pat down. Thank goodness the security man wasn't reaching for the rubber gloves when I went in.
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I think the real problem is that the security man wanted to put the pump through x-ray, contrary to manufacturer's recommendations - someone who wasn't clued up, unsure or not persistent might just agree and end up with a damaged pump 😱 :(
 
In the past I have just disconnected pump for 10mins & put in hand luggage. When I went up "Big Ben" the security was very very good & they could nearly tell me what the serial number was of my pump :D
 
A gripe about Bristol, and in praise of Exeter.

Flight out of Bristol: the usual conversation about it is fine to put it through. No it isn't, Yes it is, ....
A loud point made saying if I continue to refuse to go through they will call for a private search. I explained again my reason. They called for two females to do the search in a private room and then went through all y hand luggage which had already passed through x ray without a problem. 20 mins later I was through. I did take my time to repack everything and they might have noticed that it was not going to be a good idea to ask me to move say to do the re packing!

Flight out of Exeter: I was approaching the metal scanner (which I know can get set off) and said I was wearing an insulin pump. The security chap stopped me, and told me not to go through, as he didn't think I should chance it causing any problem to such a vital piece of equipment. I was asked very politely would I mind if someone did a pat down instead, and only if the pump was easily accessible (which it always is in an airport) could he swab it. What a contrast.
 
SB2015 said:
Flight out of Exeter: I was approaching the metal scanner (which I know can get set off) and said I was wearing an insulin pump. The security chap stopped me, and told me not to go through, as he didn't think I should chance it causing any problem to such a vital piece of equipment. I was asked very politely would I mind if someone did a pat down instead, and only if the pump was easily accessible (which it always is in an airport) could he swab it. What a contrast.
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In the words of Mr Punch, 'That's the way to do it!' 🙂
 
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