Airport security discarded ALL my frozen expressed milk before our flight

[Nadsthakur]

During security screening, approximately 25 ounces of my frozen expressed breast milk was confiscated and discarded. I was told that because it was frozen, it could not be tested and therefore could not be taken through security.

I explained several times that this milk was for my 8-month-old daughter, who is unable to latch and is exclusively fed expressed breast milk. This was not simply a drink or an inconvenience, it was my daughter's only prepared source of nutrition for our journey. Despite explaining this, I was told there was nothing that could be done, and I had to stand there and watch as the milk was thrown away.

I cannot put into words how upsetting this was. Expressing 25 ounces of breast milk takes an enormous amount of time, dedication and physical effort. It means pumping throughout the day and night, carefully storing every bottle and planning ahead. Every ounce represents hours of work. To have it thrown away in front of me, after explaining exactly how important it was, was absolutely heartbreaking.

What made the situation even worse was the attitude of the officers involved. Throughout the interaction, I felt they showed very little empathy or understanding of how serious this was. I was clearly distressed and repeatedly explained that they were taking away my baby's only food for our journey. Rather than trying to help, showing compassion or explaining whether there were any alternative screening options, my concerns were simply dismissed.

After my daughter's food had been thrown away, I was handed a customer feedback card and sent on my way. It genuinely felt as though nobody cared that an 8-month-old baby had just lost the only food I had prepared for her. The complete lack of compassion shown towards me as a mother was deeply upsetting and made an already distressing situation even worse.

Instead of looking forward to our holiday, I boarded an international flight feeling anxious and devastated, worrying about how I was going to feed my daughter while we were away. No parent should ever be put in that position.

Before travelling, I checked the guidance available to passengers. Ryanair's website clearly states that parents travelling with an infant can bring as much baby milk as needed for the flight, provided it is presented for inspection. I relied on this information when preparing for our journey. At no point was I made aware that frozen expressed breast milk could be refused because it could not be tested, and I was given no alternative option when I reached security.

I do not know the names of the officers involved, but im sure they can be identified through CCTV footage and staff rosters for the security checkpoint.
I want Manchester Airport to provide a full explanation of why my daughter's expressed breast milk was confiscated.
The specific policy or security procedure that required it to be discarded.
An explanation of why no alternative screening method. The time and physical effort it took to express and store it, and the significant distress, anxiety and disruption this caused to both me and my family.im supposed to enjoy my holiday and now im stressed in morroco about how I will feed her. She doesnt latch and only has expressed milk. Besides complaining to the Airport what else can I do so no other family goes through this.

I've done various cyber security training and we're literally made aware of stuff like this.

If someone is trying to obviously flout the rules with crying children in tow, all of your red flags should be going up and in no way should you cave.

I don't believe frozen breast milk has ever been allowed, it certainly wasn't 16 years ago, when my son was a baby. A frozen product can't be tested, which is why milk for a baby needs to be in liquid form.

Your daughter is 8 months old, milk shouldn't be her main source of food at this age. You need to introduce lots of different types of food, so she gets used to eating/experiencing textures/lumps etc. You're substituting food with milk, because she's not eating much, but it's likely the milk is filling her up.

Keep trying to introduce water, as a drink too, she can have water, as well as expressed milk to drink.

You have no grounds to complain, as upsetting it may have been for you. The security team were doing their job, and they can't relax the rules because you have a baby.

So you want individuals to make security decisions? No training and rules, just a personal decision based on families, or look safe etc?

Sounds like this could have a few flaws, don’t you think?

It’s in the final paragraph of the first post :)

I’m a fairly frequent traveller, and I did know that frozen products aren’t allowed in carry on luggage. I can easily see how someone might not. Even now the liquids rule has been relaxed in many airports, the scanners are not designed for frozen things, because frozen stuff should be checked in.

However, vilifying staff, whether security staff or not, for doing their job is never acceptable IMO. The ‘fault’ doesn’t lie with them - the rules on-line are very clear. If one was to apportion blame then I’d be starting with the OP for not considering the possibility than frozen milk might need different treatment to liquid, because the information published by the airline was explicit in referring to it under liquids. And frozen milk is not liquid. With hindsight that should have been a flag for the OP to investigate further. But I can understand why she didn’t. But having not done, when it was highlighted by security I think owning the mistake instead of attempting to bypass or bend the rules (which was never going to be successful) would have been a better approach. Realistically how long would it have taken for the milk to defrost and how long was it until the flight?

But why would you not have breastfed baby before approaching security? Security is pretty known for taking a good while to clear sometimes, why not feed baby right before you join the queue, then you know they are good for at least 2 hours? And if it's a baby so young its feeding more frequently than 2 hourly, maybe avoid travel til they are a bit older..

I exclusively breastfed my kids and i do think some people make it harder than it needs to be. Breastfeed the baby before doing something thats going to take a while and then you dont have to deal with these awkward situations?

You created the situation by not following the rules, be angry at yourself and not the security staff.

There's a lot of very trusting people on this thread asking the wrong questions. The question isn't "why would a nursing mum try to hijack a plane?" but "how could someone go about exploiting a baby to hijack a plane?" and then get creative about listing as many ways as possible.

Remember:

• A woman can pretend to be the mother of an unrelated baby.
• The woman doesn't need to be aware that she's being exploited.
• There are probably a tiny number of women out there who would risk their own baby in a hijacking attempt or kill their own baby in a suicide bombing.

That's not the first poster to note that 9/11 was 25 years ago in order to complain about the rules, without wondering precisely why there hasn't been another one in those 25 years. Along with people who think dangerous liquids can't be frozen, swabbing a laptop is just like testing liquids, women with babies can't possibly have nefarious intentions and too many more takes like these to recall.

If I had to deal with these people day in day out while responsible for the security of a packed aeroplane as it crosses land and sea in the air, I probably wouldn't be a soft, doe-eyed empath either. Good thing too, because people would die, as they have in the past.

Something could be frozen within the milk. I think you lack the flexibility of thought to be dangerous, but that’s not the case for everyone.

What are you on about?

I don't know - what do terrorists look like? you suggesting airports shouldn't have rules and that staff should make decisions based on appearance of passengers?

She's "on about" how terrorists can and do use people to achieve their aims.

This was very important to the Op
yes she appears to have done sweet FA basic research
Flouted the rules
and got very very het up

If you can't follow that extremely lucid and well reasoned post, you are not qualified to make comments on airport security.

I'm on about how posters on this thread aren't thinking hard enough about why we can't just assume that a woman with a baby and containers of creamy-coloured ice is telling the truth about what the creamy-coloured ice is.

Tiny minority
Rest thinking she’s a cheeky drama llama

This is the second time today that that poster hasn't understood something that I thought I was being pretty clear about.

Do you honestly not comprehend?

again, what are you on about?

I think this airport security was abundantly reasonable and if you bothered to read my posts… I have been scathing of a poster who described airport security as “dicks”

They're now rather clumsily shifting the focus...

I don't get it. Do people think that by claiming not to be able to understand something very basic and simple that they will make other people look silly?

It is a response to a tiny minority of posters who for some daft reason think airport security should be akin to getting into a theme park

I agree with you.

I'm just wondering if I'm not being as clear as usual because you've misunderstood me on another thread too.

It is your responsibility to check what you can take on board or not. Gov.uk is a great resource to check when going on holiday.

i have posted about a dozen times

I think I was AT the airport when this all went down. And it was ridiculous of the op.

its ALL upthread

It's a time waster.