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 don't think it's as black and white as that.

She'd just watched hours of expressed milk being thrown away. I don't think it's unreasonable that her first reaction was emotional. Most parents would be.

She also came back later and admitted she'd relied on Ryanair's guidance instead of checking the airport's guidance. That doesn't fit with your suggestion that she simply chose to blame everyone else.

As for "vilifying" the security staff, she complained about how the situation was handled and the lack of empathy she felt. Whether you agree with her or not, that's quite different from saying she set out to vilify them.

There’s only around 700 posts, the thread take 1000, so that leaves around 300 spaces!

What on earth are you talking about? What a really odd remark?

The Ryanair guidance also confirmed the situation regarding liquids.

You’re right. 700 posts, of which the OP wrote four. And a vast number of those 700 are repetitively derogatory about her. Glad to know you don’t feel you’ll need more than the remaining 300 😊

At this point it feels less like people are discussing what happened and more like they're determined to knock a mother down who's already acknowledged she should have checked the airport's guidance.

She made a mistake. She admitted that. I don't understand why that's apparently still not enough for some people.

I agree. Partly because I remember those days of pumping, and the slog and stress of making sure you have enough, and how it feels when you lose some.

But also just remembering the early days of having babies and how stressful it can be for even the smallest things, and I can imagine this felt like far more than a small thing!

They’re enjoying it, I suppose.

You and the poster you’re making digs at are both enjoying it. You know that. You’re as invested as they are and I wouldn’t be surprised if you both filled the next 300 posts just the two of you bickering in a silent room together.

Either of you could let it go. I wonder who’ll be the first to do so.

I’m not sure if you’re interested in a genuine answer, but assuming good faith: I’m actually not enjoying it. There are plenty of things I do enjoy, if I’m honest, that I think a better person wouldn’t - for example a good gossip. Plenty of other examples I could come up with too.

Often, I try not to respond on posts where it’s just bickering or it seems like there’s no point. But this one got me because I could see why the OP posted what she did, followed by her acknowledgment, and I felt bad for the absolute pasting she’s continued to get over hundreds of replies.

I’m not saying that continuing to reply is the right thing to do, and at this point I’m happy to leave it, but on a vast number of threads here you’ll see posters happy to just give the OP an unnecessary kicking, and I don’t feel bad for occasionally being one of the people to disagree with that. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We all make our own decisions.

The hypocrisy of the most prolific poster on this thread!

But it’s ok that you post as often as you like, because your voice is the only one that matters apparently.

As you’re sticking up for a mother? But anyone sticking up for the security of others or a working person doing a decent job, they just hush?

Often, I try not to respond on posts where it’s just bickering or it seems like there’s no point.

Epic fail!

I'm going to repeat this:
I don't think you can reason with people acting like this in a emotional way. Nor should you actually have to in a lot of cases because the reaction is completely unreasonable and irrational.

And say that as someone who spent days expressing milk, you don't just check the airlines policy understanding how precious that milk is. You double and triple check and you check the departure airport, the arrival airport, the customs protocols (given that the EU has banned dairy products from the UK so you are going to have to prove this is a banned substance) as routine and you use primary school level knowledge to understand the difference between solids and liquids. Because you understand how precious and difficult it is to obtain this milk more than anyone else and you don't want to lose it. And you do this before you have a meltdown and start shouting on the internet about injustice and how badly treated you have been by staff when you do lose it.

I'm sorry but compassion from the airport staff for people who can't be arsed to check properly is not a necessary job requirement. If it was, flights would constantly be half empty due to a failure of security staff to get passengers through security on time and airlines would collapse as a result.

This is quite aside from the actual security risk.

The unrealistic expectations on this thread are off the scale.

I’m the most prolific?

It took a two minute search to show you’ve posted 57 times on this thread to my 26. 57 scathing posts.

I’ll bow out here, as you’re quite right, I have posted too many times by far.

I hope you’re not still reading OP, but if you are, best of luck to you and I hope you have a good holiday.

I don't think you can reason with people acting like this in a emotional way. Nor should you actually have to in a lot of cases because the reaction is completely unreasonable and irrational.
I disagree .
It is possible for people who are upset to calm down.
People in public facing roles are trained in how to de escalate situations .
For very obvious reasons.
It does not need to take ages so please don't start with talk of security staff not being counselors.

The condescending tone says it all really.

She's travelling with an 8-month-old baby and three other young children. Yes, she should have checked the airport's guidance as well, and she's already admitted she didn't.

What I don't understand is why some posters seem determined to turn that mistake into a character flaw. "Couldn't be arsed", "meltdown", "primary school level knowledge"... really?

Parents make mistakes, especially when they're juggling four children. She acknowledged hers. I don't see why that means she isn't allowed to be upset about losing hours' worth of expressed milk.

Yes. But she didn't need to go 'i want to report etc etc' really did she? Or use the emotional blackmail of "I've just had a baby". We get it. But I don't think this does anyone any fucking favours.

Airport security should be strict and not fluffy. If it's fluffy people just try to take the piss more and think they can get away with more.

That's really part of the problem here.

It's national security. Not Disneyland.

Nobody is saying airport security shouldn't be strict. I've always been treated with dignity and respect when going through airport security, and the rules have still been enforced.

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. You can apply the rules without making someone feel dismissed, especially a mum travelling with an 8-month-old and three other young children. The OP has already acknowledged she should have checked the airport's guidance. I don't see why that means she's not allowed to feel upset about what happened.

Yes they are. You are saying they should be as floppy as a wet weekend.

I've said before that honestly I think the OP would have had a meltdown however good they were because they were saying no and she didn't like it.

The end.

No sensible person thinks you're being condescending. You can't do anything with people who are offended by facts and think that their feelings about forbidden items are somehow security's responsibility. These people are just proof that the more you indulge their nonsense, the more nonsense you get.

The OP has an 8 month old baby that doesn't latch .
Reading her post it sounds as though she was explaining that this is why it was so important to her .
Is that really emotional blackmail?

She was in the wrong , hadn't checked the requirements properly, shouldn't have argued with the staff .
But .. perhaps if the staff had shown some sympathy (what Red toothbrush calls, presumably for dramatic effect) " fluffy"she wouldn't have felt the need to persue this with the airport.
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.
TBH I hope she does complain - about their attitude .
Some airport staff go out of their way to be unhelpful.
I recently witnessed a staff member telling an elderly and flustered old woman that she had to put her carry on luggage sideways into the frame that checks the dimensions.
This was after she had placed it ( with ease) the correct way round .
Just why?

Yes it was emotional blackmail.

I had the same problem. I didn't have this drama. I found multiple ways to get around the issue without needing to freeze milk.

I'm sorry but I express fed and think her entire reaction was ridiculous.

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. You can apply the rules without making someone feel dismissed, especially a mum travelling with an 8-month-old and three other young children

I think the above is too complex for some posters to.get their heads round .

The strange and repeated use of words like fluffy, phrases like "it's not Disneyland " and the need to trot out beliefs that the OP. would have had a meltdown however the staff spoke to her ,all demonstrate to me a need to bolster their view.
The little we know about exactly what happened must be seen through the most dramatic and negative lense possible .if that means extrapolating into imagined scenes and vilifying those who dare to voice a different view, so.be it .

But not every one is the same Red

You coped , she messed up and got upset.

She's not you .

I'm not offended by facts. I'm pointing out that calling a mum travelling with an 8-month-old and three other young children "someone who couldn't be arsed", talking about "primary school level knowledge" and accusing her of having a "meltdown" is condescending.

The facts are that she misunderstood the guidance, later acknowledged she should have checked the airport's policy, and was upset about losing hours of expressed milk.

Everything else is opinion.

Exactly

This kind of person will be having meltdowns at various figures of authority, whether it’s a traffic warden or airport security, almost daily.

No doubt multiple complaints to the hotel for some perceived injustice already