A Liverpool mum decided to cancel her family holiday after claiming a "traumatic" Manchester Airport experience left her autistic child distressed.
Luna Muñoz, a career coaching consultant from Liverpool, was supposed to fly to Boston from Manchester Airport with her child Eli, 15, to see their family on June 1 after not seeing them for three years. Luna asked about the special assistance that Eli is entitled to which includes giving the teen more time to process instructions and finding ways in which they would be comfortable being searched.
When Eli and their mum got to the airport, they set off the metal detector and were made the subject of a search. Luna said she tried to speak to staff about the best way to approach the search that would be manageable but Eli had already been touched on the back and shoulder despite Eli crying and showing distress.
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A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said they are "satisfied" that their staff did what they could to reassure the mum and child but Luna disagrees. She said: "I don’t even hug my child unless I have consent."
She added: “And it’s been a while. I understand this person has to do their job. But touching someone on their shoulders or their back is intimate touching, that’s not touching to do their jobs.
“They were trying to be reassuring, but for a person with special needs, that’s not reassuring.”
When Eli and Luna arrived at the rampant airport they were given a sunflower lanyard to show that they may need special assistance, something that staff at the airport maintain was taken into account. Luna said Eli started to “grimace” and cry while being searched, before running away in distress and having a panic attack, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Once the family got through security, Luna did her best to help Eli feel more settled but the encounter had made a lasting impact.
She said: “I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to just cry. I didn’t want Eli to see that. I thought I don't think we’re going to be protected or safe beyond this point.”
The family decided to go home and cancel their much-anticipated trip, with Luna saying she couldn’t face the possibility of further distress for Eli. The mum said: "We haven’t seen family in three years now, and this was our chance.
"It has been a long, long time. It was a hard choice. But we talked about it as a family and thought no, it’s not worth it.”
Luna said she understood that Eli, like everyone else, had to go through airport security. But she claims that no attempts were made to make the experience more comfortable for Eli.
She said: "You don’t expect special treatment, but there is a way to do it. You do expect a little more in terms of time and patience."
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “The security of our passengers and staff is of paramount importance and our security process must be applied consistently. In this case, the passenger activated a walk-through metal detector and so a hand search was necessary, in line with security regulations.
“Our security team explained to the passenger and his mother why this was necessary prior to conducting the search. Security colleagues are trained in how to engage with passengers who have hidden disabilities such as autism and we are satisfied that they did their best to reassure the passengers concerned in this instance.
“We are, however, sorry to hear they found the experience distressing and would welcome any feedback from Ms Munoz on how she feels the process could be improved.”
