Last week I flew from Glasgow Airport. I went through the metal detector and was directed to go through the body scanner. I said I couldn't because of my insulin pump. I was told I'd already come through the one I wasn't supposed to and the body scanner was the safe one. I told her the opposite was true and I couldn't go through it.
She called the supervisor who asked me to remove my sandals and gave me plastic "bootees" to wear. She put my sandals through x-Ray. She then said I would have to go through a personal search and took me to a private room with another member of staff. She told me to read and sign a form which told me I may be asked to remove some clothing and help them carry out the search by for example lifting a breast.
This was quite intimidating. I wondered if they would bring out rubber gloves!
The supervisor asked if this was all right, to which I replied, "It'll have to be."
The other lady asked me to stand with arms out to the side and used a "wand" and her hand to do the search. I was not asked to remove any clothing or help the search, other than standing with one foot in front of the other.
Nothing was done that couldn't have been done in public, as in previous years, but I felt angry. Obviously I hid this anger, as they could easily have made it a much more intimate search.
When I came out of the room, my husband had collected my hand luggage which had been searched and everything in my liquids bag was checked and tested. He didn't have my sandals, so I went over to X-Ray to get them. They couldn't find them! I was raging and imagined having to walk through duty free in my blue bootees! Eventually I was handed my sandals and we went on our way.
So if anyone else with a pump is flying from Glasgow, be prepared!
She called the supervisor who asked me to remove my sandals and gave me plastic "bootees" to wear. She put my sandals through x-Ray. She then said I would have to go through a personal search and took me to a private room with another member of staff. She told me to read and sign a form which told me I may be asked to remove some clothing and help them carry out the search by for example lifting a breast.
This was quite intimidating. I wondered if they would bring out rubber gloves!
The supervisor asked if this was all right, to which I replied, "It'll have to be."
The other lady asked me to stand with arms out to the side and used a "wand" and her hand to do the search. I was not asked to remove any clothing or help the search, other than standing with one foot in front of the other.
Nothing was done that couldn't have been done in public, as in previous years, but I felt angry. Obviously I hid this anger, as they could easily have made it a much more intimate search.
When I came out of the room, my husband had collected my hand luggage which had been searched and everything in my liquids bag was checked and tested. He didn't have my sandals, so I went over to X-Ray to get them. They couldn't find them! I was raging and imagined having to walk through duty free in my blue bootees! Eventually I was handed my sandals and we went on our way.
So if anyone else with a pump is flying from Glasgow, be prepared!
