We’ve got mail!

I read with interest Colleen Maloney’s article “Hello: Air Canada are you listening?” and the issues people with disabilities list as barriers to air travel. I was surprised that the list didn’t include the humiliation of being “frisked” at security.

Everyone who has traveled since 9/11 grumbles about security, the length of time it takes to move through security, and the related panic of almost missing their flights. Stories range from the shortage of personnel at security gates to hold-ups in the line because of the questionable security of travelers. Lost luggage complaints that once headed the list of inconveniences have been bumped. And while the traveling public is hassled by the requirement to relinquish to the bin of suspected terrorist paraphernalia all their liquids, gels, and sharp objects, people with artificial joints must endure additional scrutiny. We undergo the very public pat down. Any anonymity we might have had vanishes with the swipe of the wand.

Last month for instance I was flying out of Ottawa and approached security with the same apprehension and humour I generally reserve for these situations. With cell phone, loose change, purse, coat, and sweater in the gray plastic container and a prepared spiel, I braced myself for the walk through the electronic arches. As usual I set off alarm bells and as usual I explained that I had bilateral knee and hip replacements. Security also discovered that I had a watch and belt. A female attendant was called for the requisite pat down – a publicly humiliating experience no matter how often it is endured – and was told to check for artificial knees and hips. She checked my hips and was directing me to proceed when her counterpart told her to check my knees. With my fellow travelers approaching apoplexy for fear they’d miss their plane, she bent down and felt my ankles: clearly she misunderstood. It was a new experience for me – the ankle pat down - and the feelings of embarrassment I felt for her because clearly she was embarrassed for me.

In addition to the points raised on access in Ms Maloney’s article, Air Canada needs to re-think the manner in which these mandatory pat-downs are conducted. Emphasis must be placed on the privacy of the person and safeguards implemented to preserve the decorum of both the traveler and the security personnel.