A woman has sparked a debate on travelling with medication after an incident at Stansted airport left her seeking advice online.
She recounted that during security checks, her bag was singled out for containing various inhalers and medicine capsules which she hadn’t placed in a separate clear plastic bag.
Sharing her experience, she said: “The security guy gave me a lecture that I need to put my inhalers and medication in a separate clear plastic bag (same one as for liquids). I told him that I had been instructed NOT to put my inhalers in a liquid bag. I asked when this rule about putting medication into the clear bag came into effect and he said two and a half years ago.”
Seeking clarity, she questioned: “What do you think? I checked the Stansted Airport website and it doesn’t mention that you have to put powder-based medication in a clear plastic bag. What do you do with your medicine at security?”.
Her post quickly garnered responses, with several people sharing their own experiences of confusion over the rules. One individual responded: “Inhalers, yes. I’m asthmatic and found this out at Manchester in July. Even got the, ‘why do you need THREE inhalers? ‘ lecture. Two of them are rescue inhalers as I always have a backup and one was my steroid inhaler.”
Another traveller expressed frustration, saying: “It’s crazy! I’ve been to countless airports in the last year all over the world and nobody has made me take my inhalers out of my bag!”.
One person said: “I used to put them with my liquids but a security person told me you don’t need to because it ain’t a liquid. Also why should you have to justify your inhaler quantity to someone who clearly is not a doctor… if you had like ten maybe, but three?! Of course you need your spare inhaler!”
Another passenger shared their experience, saying: “I flew from Stansted 2 weeks ago, with 2 inhalers in my backpack pocket. I got selected for a luggage search. They noted my inhalers but said absolutely nothing about needing to put them in a liquids bag. I’ve flown from Stansted at least half a dozen times in the past two years, same with Gatwick and Luton, and that’s the one and only time my inhalers have ever been mentioned.”
Stansted Airport’s website states that inhalers are considered liquids and should be placed in a clear plastic bag if carried in hand luggage. According to Holidaysextras.com, passengers should pack medical equipment carefully, inform security staff about it, and check if any medicine in the hold will be affected by low temperatures.
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