Stansted and flying while diabetic

S

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
www.bbc.co.uk

Diabetic children treated 'as criminals’ at Stansted Airport

Travellers say they had "appalling" experiences getting through security.
www.bbc.co.uk

I’ve recently had two negative experiences flying through stansted but have been reluctant to post it as a lot of people who are new seek advice on flying and I thought maybe I just had a bad day and I dont want to worry anyone, Turns out not. Can confirm that when I refused to put my pump through the body scanner I was required to be throughly searched in a separate room not just scanned down with a wand as per normal. On another separate occasion one of the people who checks bags when they’re flagged by the luggage scanner demanded my prescription details and my passport. I’ve never had a problem at any other airport and I don’t understand why stansted practice is so out of line with others. Will now seek to avoid it for the future.
 
How dreadful! There’s absolutely no need for that. I hope the staff at Stanstead receive updated training about Type 1 - preferably from someone who has a pump, so they can understand what daily life is like and how much we rely on it because it’s literally life-saving.

I wonder how they treat others will similar medical devices, eg pacemakers?

Is this something Diabetes U.K. offers training about @everydayupsanddowns @Anna DUK ?
 
I have just read the article and not sure whether I am more annoyed by the security staff at Stanstead or by the journalist writing it. Why does the title focus on children even though one of the examples is a man in his 50s? Adults can experience these issues as well as children but aren't as cute so we don't get the same level of sympathy.

That said, me and my pump have been through lots of airports and, while I recognise the treatment mentioned (yes, I have been taken off to a room and treated like a criminal and without a "parent" or partner to look after my belongings) it is rare.
 
I had a similar experience a few years ago at Heathrow T5. I was so angry and humiliated at the time that I sought out the Airport Duty Manager and made a formal complaint. I never heard anything more about it, of course, but I've been through T5 several times since then and no problems.
 
Saw that earlier and felt very deflated - have not been abroad myself since diagnosis and that has really annoyed me - I hope it is a relatively isolated incident though
 
I think there is an intended inconsistency between the way different airport security works, one you know how the process operates it's easy to subvert it. They also work according to alerts that only they know.

I always expect the worst and generally have not had a problem but each time I travel I still anticipate problems and try to take into account that I may have to lose something. Obviously medication is not negotiable and I don't really anticipate a problem there but electronic devices such as CGMs and pumps are vulnerable. If it's a question of being inconvenienced, searched and the like, I'm prepared to tolerate that given what the security people are trying to save us from.
 
Being searched is fair enough, I think the point is that they could be a bit more friendly about it, especially when it’s a medical device and you have all the paperwork with you to prove it. Yes, they want to swab it to make sure there’s no trace of explosives. But unless they find any, they shouldn’t treat you as a criminal.
 
The issue is not with the need for security, it is with the fact that stansted appears to have unilaterally introduced a policy different from other UK airports. This adds time and unnecessary stress to T1D passengers. When I had to be searched I had to wait about 15/20 minutes for a room to be available during which time I was separated from my pump. Every other airport I’ve flown through has asked me to stand aside, done a pat down/ wand wave and swabbed the pump which has stayed within my sight at all times. It makes no sense. At least I now know that the person who demanded my prescription and passport had no right to do so (all medication was well under the 100ml limit) so if that happens again
I am armed to deal with it, but the rest is just causing hassle to a group of people who have enough already to deal with.
 
Like others I assume that there will be an issue and arrive with a lot of spare time to negotiate security. Generally there is no problem when I advise them that I cannot go through the full body scanner, and would like an alternative check.
I have only been to Stanstead once and it was fine, but that was a few years ago. Apart from one unpleasant experience in the USA there have been no problem and Inhad the feeling that they were a lot more used to pumps nowadays. I choose to use a sunflower lanyard, and find the staff in that queue have no problem with my request. It is generally quicker, my travelling companions come with me and it is a lot quieter.
I never take my pump off and they swab it whilst it is still attached. I have learnt to keep a bag of skittles in my pocket in case there is a delay and I am separated from my bag for a while. We make sure that my OH goes through first and he can then keep an eye on my bags if necessary.
 
Sally71 said:
Being searched is fair enough, I think the point is that they could be a bit more friendly about it, especially when it’s a medical device and you have all the paperwork with you to prove it. Yes, they want to swab it to make sure there’s no trace of explosives. But unless they find any, they shouldn’t treat you as a criminal.
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I haven’t been out the country for 5 years. Though, I am taking the tunnel to France in a couple of weeks. My experience if hand luggage is searched at airports is they look for anything with a fitted battery. It gets swabbed. They normally want me to remove items from the bag until I’ve pulled out what was of interest on the scan? But then I’ve never done Stansted. Lol, once I got held up & the bag belonged to the person behind me?
 
I loathe airports full stop but have to use them if I want to go on holiday. I think the way people are treated is dreadful. I can never get out of this country without my luggage being searched. Lord knows why as there is nothing in there and I don't break the 100 ml rule. At present I don't take medical equipment. I have got in and out of Russia and the US easier.
 
It’s another form of “stop & search?” Unfortunately, every now & then there are individuals with a skewed ideology that make sick calculating attempts to unofficially “cancel” the onward journey. I suppose they really can’t take any chances. I don’t think anyone could pay me enough to detain someone with a “suspect device.”
 
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