Diabetic children are treated ‘as criminals’ at Stansted Airport

Children and adults with type 1 diabetes face “appalling” treatment at London Stansted Airport and are treated like criminals, according to several complaints made to the BBC.

A mother from Lowestoft, in Suffolk, claimed her young son was “absolutely never to fly again” after feeling “disturbed” by undergoing an X-ray scanner which could damage medical equipment.

Others were described as being taken into the room to be searched while important equipment was kept on the security desk.

The airport said all security staff “received thorough training” to provide “understanding and awareness” of medical conditions, and apologized to one family for any “confusion or distress” they caused.

• People with type 1 diabetes inject the hormone insulin – which you need to live – because your body can’t produce it.
• Many type 1 diabetics use a pump that delivers insulin and a separate sensor that tracks blood sugar levels.
• Both can be damaged by airport scanners, so on The Civil Aviation Authority said the device “It doesn’t have to be screened with an x-ray or go through a security scanner, so it will be screened in an alternative way”.

April from Lowestoft said the trip from Stansted in July was her family’s first flight since her autistic son, aged 15, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

He asked for special help and brought a letter from the medical team.

“I told them not to go through the x-ray machine, but the security guard insisted ‘they are going through’,” he recalled.

“It feels like we don’t have a choice, like we’re being bullied.”

Her son was eventually taken to a private room to be searched, she claimed, and said the manager apologized.

“We don’t know where the medical supply bag is, which is really worrying. It’s not a good experience for him: he still doesn’t want to fly anymore.”

April said that when they arrived in Turkey, some devices stopped working and they had to rely on spare parts.

He said the journey back through Turkey was “brilliant” but the Stansted experience was “horrendous”.

London Stansted Airport said there had been no formal complaints and offered to meet April’s family.

“Passengers always have the right to opt out of the body scanner for medical or non-medical reasons, and to have their hands searched in person,” the spokesperson said.

“If there was a miscommunication at the time, we deeply apologize for any distress or confusion this may have caused, and we sincerely apologize.”

Caroline and Wayne, from Orpington, often fly with their children Ellis, 14, and Esme, 11, who both have type 1 diabetes.

“We’ve been to Stansted a few times and never had a problem, so it’s very friendly,” said Caroline.

“What we experienced last month was completely different – not very good.”

“We were told to go into the room for a full body search, and there were about five or six staff in the room: doing and watching the search, or filling out the paperwork.

“Usually they just do a body search in the security area, cut off the clothes, take off the shoes, maybe a swab. I’m starting to worry something else is going on – I feel like a criminal.”

Wayne, who was left waiting with his suitcase and wondering what happened, declared it as “the enemy”.

“You feel like a victim because you have a child with type 1 diabetes. It’s not a good start to the holiday for us.

“It should be one rule for every airport, it can’t be different,” he said.

Natalie, from Harlow, said her son, 19, was “made to take off his shoes and go into the room” without explanation on July 15.

He told BBC News: “I said to the staff, ‘I feel like a criminal here, is this going to happen every time, is this crazy?’

“They said ‘This is what we have to do’.”

He said he was patted down and asked about his blood sugar sensor.

“Then they stuck a piece of paper in front of him and said ‘sign this’, but didn’t explain what he was being asked to sign,” he said.

She claimed her son had a similar experience at Stansted when he was 17 and newly diagnosed.

Natalie understands that it is “difficult” for airport security to navigate “so many different devices”.

“But why can’t men look me in the eye? It’s a lack of communication and human kindness, it’s the way they chase people – it’s quite scary.”

London Stansted said it was asking passengers to “take a personal walk to check the area thoroughly”, which “may include the need to change clothes and wipe down devices”.

“We don’t want to do it in public,” he added.

“Private searches include officers conducting searches with manager witnesses, with women searching for women and men for men.”

Cherry Jones, from the Rhondda Valley in Wales, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 52 after entering intensive care, and flew to Europe a few weeks later.

He said: “I was first held back by a conveyor belt, looked at suspiciously by the security team. Eventually I was escorted to a back room and asked a few questions about my travel plans.

“All of my stuff is held in place, including backup technology and insulin.

“When I finally got back to the security conveyor, someone in rubber gloves emptied my entire carry-on bag, including all my insulin, and left me to clean it up in front of the other passengers.

“My blood sugar levels spiked for hours because of the stress.”

He said the experience in September 2023 “raised a lot of tension at an already difficult time. It was insensitive and rude”.

Type 1 diabetes charity JDRF working with airports, the CAA and medical companies, to try and bring greater consistency and awareness.

“Traveling for people with type 1 diabetes can be very stressful, because there is a lack of compatibility between airport scanners and the kind of life-saving medical technology,” said community partnership and event leader, Chris Bright.

“We call on the airport to train all staff, so that people with type 1 diabetes can pass through airport security as easily as other passengers, without the challenge of using essential and life-saving medical care.”

A Facebook group supporting families with type 1 diabetes said: “We get lots of posts sharing positive experiences with airport security, but unfortunately there are also a lot of negative ones – at UK airports and abroad.

“Traveling as a diabetic is already a challenge, so we want to see better training and awareness amongst all security staff.”

London Stansted Airport urged anyone not happy to contact them to “investigate thoroughly” and “take any necessary action”.

“We strive to make every passenger’s airport experience safe, stress-free and smooth, while respecting each passenger’s needs and circumstances,” he said.

“If passengers, or medical equipment, cannot or are advised not to go through the security scanners and x-ray machines, the equipment will be screened in an alternative way, and the passengers’ hands will be searched.

“All security staff receive comprehensive training to ensure compliance with government security regulations and provide the best possible customer service, including understanding and awareness of passengers traveling with medical conditions.”