by April, from Lowestoft, said the journey from Stansted in July was her family’s first flight since her autistic son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 15.
She booked special assistance and brought a letter from her medical team.
“I told them he wasn’t allowed through the X-ray machine, but security insisted he go through,” she recalls.
“It felt like we had no choice, like we were being forced to do it.”
Her son was eventually taken to a private room for a search, she claimed, and a manager apologized to them.
“We didn’t know where his medicine bag was, which was really worrying. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for him: he is determined never to fly again.”
April said that when they arrived in Turkey, some equipment stopped working and they were in need of spare parts.
She said the journey back through Turkey was “great” but the experience at Stansted was “horrific”.
London Stansted Airport said no formal complaint had been made and offered a meeting with April’s family.
“Passengers always have the right to forgo a body scanner for medical or non-medical reasons and instead undergo a hand search in camera,” a spokesman said.
“If there was a miscommunication at the time, we are very sorry. We apologize for any distress or confusion this may have caused and would like to apologize from the bottom of our hearts.”
