Dublin Airport took medicine from my baby niece!

Xcellor

Yesterday my sister in law was travelling to the US (Dublin Airport) with her 18 month old baby. The child was sick with a fever + teething and had been taking Calpol to help her symtoms.

When I checked my sister in law in (english is not her first langauge) I asked at the US Airways desk whether there would be an issue brinign the medicine since it was over the 100ML. I was told that since it was a medicine this wouldn't be a problem. Roll forward to security. My sister in law presented the medicine at security and was told she couldn't bring it through. It was confiscated from her. The product was in its original packaging with a baby on the front and the bottle had at this point less than 100ML

From their own website:

Can I bring my medication on board the aircraft?

Yes, passengers are allowed to bring essential medication and dietary requirements in liquid form through the screening points in the quantities needed during their trip.Passengers may be required to demonstrate that what they are carrying is real and for genuine purposes, and not something less innocent.


I have written a complaint to DAA about this as I find it absolutely disgusting that they would make a baby suffer an 8 hour flight with a fever!! This is completely wrong.

Is this treatment normal? I'd like to know other experiences.

Skuxx

Xcellor wrote: »

Yesterday my sister in law was travelling to the US (Dublin Airport) with her 18 month old baby. The child was sick with a fever + teething and had been taking Calpol to help her symtoms.

When I checked my sister in law in (english is not her first langauge) I asked at the US Airways desk whether there would be an issue brinign the medicine since it was over the 100ML. I was told that since it was a medicine this wouldn't be a problem. Roll forward to security. My sister in law presented the medicine at security and was told she couldn't bring it through. It was confiscated from her. The product was in its original packaging with a baby on the front and the bottle had at this point less than 100ML

From their own website:

Can I bring my medication on board the aircraft?

Yes, passengers are allowed to bring essential medication and dietary requirements in liquid form through the screening points in the quantities needed during their trip.Passengers may be required to demonstrate that what they are carrying is real and for genuine purposes, and not something less innocent.


I have written a complaint to DAA about this as I find it absolutely disgusting that they would make a baby suffer an 8 hour flight with a fever!! This is completely wrong.

Is this treatment normal? I'd like to know other experiences.

No, of course its not normal, they don't set out to ensure a baby is going to suffer!!
The guys there spend all day every day taking shampoo and sun cream and bottles of water off people that are in bottles over 100ml, and chances are
who ever she was dealing with wasnt aware of the situation regarding medicine and took it, like he probably done 200 times that day!! And I know thats no excuse, but these things happen!!!
The fact that the bottle had less than 100ml doesn't matter, the bottle size has to be less than 100ml....

Did she make the officer aware of the entitlement to take it onboard?? Did she ask to speak to a supervisor??

mitosis

They also state several times that the container must not exceed 100ml capacity. This is where the limit was exceeded. Also, imho Calpol is not an essential medicine (such as a heart med or asthma inhaler) - it is an over the counter medecine.

I sympathise greatly with the sick child, but find it hard to do so with a parent who can't follow what are simple enough rules.

Xcellor

alan1990 wrote: »

No, of course its not normal, they don't set out to ensure a baby is going to suffer!!
The guys there spend all day every day taking shampoo and sun cream and bottles of water off people that are in bottles over 100ml, and chances are
who ever she was dealing with wasnt aware of the situation regarding medicine and took it, like he probably done 200 times that day!! And I know thats no excuse, but these things happen!!!
The fact that the bottle had less than 100ml doesn't matter, the bottle size has to be less than 100ml....

Did she make the officer aware of the entitlement to take it onboard?? Did she ask to speak to a supervisor??

My sister does not speak fluent english. Travelling is new to her. It's not that easy to complain when you dont speak the language and really you shouldn't have to. The baby is there! It's a bottle of calpol! A picture of a child on the front of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ugenbta2aBw

I just found the above video. Perhaps they could use it to train their own staff. They even show a bottle of yes Calpol!

Xcellor

mitosis wrote: »

They also state several times that the container must not exceed 100ml capacity. This is where the limit was exceeded. Also, imho Calpol is not an essential medicine (such as a heart med or asthma inhaler) - it is an over the counter medecine.

I sympathise greatly with the sick child, but find it hard to do so with a parent who can't follow what are simple enough rules.

Please see the video I just posted.

We asked during the check in whether it would be OK to bring it and the US airways check in staff says yes because it was medicine.

ardmacha

While this situation is not ideal, there is a pharmacy in the airport so it should not have affected the child's health as a new bottle could have been purchased.

Skuxx

Xcellor wrote: »

I just found the above video. Perhaps they could use it to train their own staff. They even show a bottle of yes Calpol!

Thats not a DAA video!!
I had a quick look online and I found somewhere that says you may only take medicines onboard that are prescribed!!
It wasn't from an official site so I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it makes sense!!!


Edit: I'm not trying to have a go at you by the way, I understand your frustration, but air travel and the security relating to it have been clamped down on so much, it really is so much easier to just follow the rules, I mean Calpol can be bought in 30ml bottles afaik, and as anothr poster said, there is a few Boots pharmacies post security!

Ken.

Once you go through the metal detectors there are shops to buy medicines if you need.

puffishoes

I would be complaining to the guardian of the child who did not go to the chemist once inside the terminal to purchase a new bottle of the medication.

If the child was suffering so badly maybe it might have been an idea to take the child to a GP and have gotten a prescription which could have been produced to the DAA staff, or postponed the trip until the child was in a more healthy state to travel.

Xcellor

puffishoes wrote: »

I would be complaining to the guardian of the child who did not go to the chemist once inside the terminal to purchase a new bottle of the medication.

If the child was suffering so badly maybe it might have been an idea to take the child to a GP and have gotten a prescription which could have been produced to the DAA staff, or postponed the trip until the child was in a more healthy state to travel.

Yes that's what I would have done. But when you mix

1) Inexperienced nervous travaller.
2) Sick child.
3) Not speaking english
4) Needing to catch a flight and clear customs.
5) Being told there would be no problem bringing the medicine in the first place.

It's not as black and white.

Nonoperational

It's poor form but I feel there are a few mitigating circumstances...

A spoon of calpol taken at security would do the trick for quite a while.
It's available in bottles under 100mls.
It's available after security.

At the same time it seems petty to take it and I think it could have been left go.

puffishoes

Xcellor wrote: »

Yes that's what I would have done. But when you mix

1) Inexperienced nervous travaller.
2) Sick child.
3) Not speaking english
4) Needing to catch a flight and clear customs.
5) Being told there would be no problem bringing the medicine in the first place.

It's not as black and white.

I don't see how been a nervous traveler prevented them from taking the child to a GP?

Sick child and been a nervous traveler to me would = don't travel

What has speaking english got to do with it? did they request a translator? did this hamper the ability to figure out of the child was too sick to travel?

to see the big green crosses inside the terminal to go to another chemist?

When people go to airports they generally need to catch a flight, the point here is was the need that bad they risked taking a very sick child on board?

If the bottle was under the guidelines of 100ml i don't think there would have been an issue or did i misread the post?

What prevented them from purchasing another bottle after going through?

Did they alert a stewardess on the plane to the childs distress? what was their response?

When a child is suffering it is black and white, you attend to the child's issue before anything else. be it flight or anything else.

Su Campu

FFS that video showed a DAA official describing in detail what products were allowed on, including some packs that were more than 100 ml....AND a bottle of Calpol!

I find that the only people that reply to such poster's queries are those who want to take the piss instead of actually helping. Calpol IS allowed on so it should not have been confiscated.

Having said that, whatever the issue at Security, she still should have tried to buy another one if the baby was that bad.

cynder

I agree with other posters,

Anyone could put dangerous liquid into a babies medicine bottle, or baby bottle, the rules are there to protect passengers.

The security did a good job, the woman could easily buy calpol from the chemist in the airport.

If the baby was 'that' sick they shouldn't be travelling. Doesn't matter what language the person speaks, their priority is protecting passengers while on the airplane or at the airport from terrorists. There is a bigger picture.

I've travelled with young kids and with a suitcase full of prescription medicine, My daughter is diabetic. I can assure you every time the security has been great, we have gps letters, consultant letters, prescriptions, every angle is covered. English is my first language but have travelled to countries where English is not the first language, I only have limited Italian and Spanish.

The only issue we had was with a bottle of coke we forgot about, oh and a babies bottle which I had to taste and another time it was dipped.

They have rules and regulations for our safety and we should be thankful that they put them into practice.

Xcellor

Su Campu wrote: »

FFS that video showed a DAA official describing in detail what products were allowed on, including some packs that were more than 100 ml....AND a bottle of Calpol!

I find that the only people that reply to such poster's queries are those who want to take the piss instead of actually helping. Calpol IS allowed on so it should not have been confiscated.

Having said that, whatever the issue at Security, she still should have tried to buy another one if the baby was that bad.

Thank you. Finally someone who bothered to actually watch the video.

I'm not arguing the right or the wrong of buying another bottle after security.

I am arguing what DAA did was wrong. The information on their website, the video and also what US Airways told me was contradictory to the experience my sister faced.

cynder

Xcellor wrote: »

Thank you. Finally someone who bothered to actually watch the video.

I'm not arguing the right or the wrong of buying another bottle after security.

I am arguing what DAA did was wrong. The information on their website, the video and also what US Airways told me was contradictory to the experience my sister faced.

I watched the video the bottle they showed was a 100ml bottle not a 200ml bottle. I'm sure if your relative took a 100 ml bottle there would have been no problem.



And as for the daa website it says that you can bring enough for the journey, no journey should require 200 mls of calpol. At least your relative knows or next time...


I've carried 100ml bottles of calpol through Dublin airport a number of times, I've never attempted bringing 200mls though.

Skuxx

Su Campu wrote: »

FFS that video showed a DAA official describing in detail what products were allowed on, including some packs that were more than 100 ml....AND a bottle of Calpol!

I find that the only people that reply to such poster's queries are those who want to take the piss instead of actually helping. Calpol IS allowed on so it should not have been confiscated.

Having said that, whatever the issue at Security, she still should have tried to buy another one if the baby was that bad.

Well if that video is showing some packs over 100ml, its clearly not accurate and therefore means nothing, because nobody can argue that the rule exists, you can't bring anything on thats over 100ml....its a common rule throughout Europe and the USA, and I'm sure worldwide......


Nobody here is doubting that Calpol is allowed, as long as it is in a bottle under 100ml!! Its not a prescription medicine, it can't be brought through security in a bigger than 100ml bottle!!

This is a non story IMHO!

urajoke

Sorry OP you are getting wound up about nothing, it's been pointed out to you repeatedly.

1) I don't care what's in your video link, 100ml max capacity bottle a well know rule that has been in place for years now.

2) depending on child's age, if it's teething it's less than 2, so it's 5-10ml every 6hrs to a max of 4 doses a day so 40ml for one day required.

3) calpol comes in satchets of 5ml each she didn't need a large bottle, which is available like calpol in any supermarket or chemist of which there is one airside at the airport.

4) calpol is NOT required medication no more than hedex or panadol is.

If she was that worried about the baby maybe she should have gone to a doctor not the airport and flown for 7.5hrs with a 'sick' baby.

The DAA did nothing wrong and everything right, I would be more offended if they had let her take it. Especially as its freely available just passed security.

steve-o

The OP doesn't say which security check took it. If it was US security (after immigration/customs) then there is no pharmacy beyond that point to buy a new one.

A Dub in Glasgo

Another example of the little hitler attitude that must be a pre-requisite for airport security. I have seen plenty of them exhibiting that trait in my travels

Davidth88

OP , Calpol is freely available airside at Dublin Airport , so a purchase at any of the chemists there would have resolved the issue

It is not prescription medication so is under the 100ml rule. The rule is the container must hold 100ml or less , it does not matter how full it is.
As for the security ' letting it go ' , they don't know if the person is a ' mystery shopper ' type test , you have to rememeber Dublin suffered badly under this sort of test recently because stuff was getting into airside that should not , so they have to be strict , or risk losing their jobs

On a personal level , I think 100ml rule is a total joke and very ' random' but it's in place and that's it.

I hope your neice is feeling better.

Elessar

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

Another example of the little hitler attitude that must be a pre-requisite for airport security. I have seen plenty of them exhibiting that trait in my travels

No, you're just don't like the rules. The same rule applies to everyone regardless of who you are. If you don't like it, don't fly. If you want it changed (and believe me, it needs to change), pressure your MEP. If you have a problem with a specific member of staff, ask for the supervisor.

OP, I sympathise with your friends situation, but these are the rules for EU airport security. You agree to these rules if you wish to travel. It doesn't matter what US Airways say, security is security - the rules for travelling through security are readily available, on the website, on your itinerary, at the check in desk, on the screens approaching security and from the sreening staff themselves (and umpteen other places).

Any liquid/gel/paste container over 100ml is prohibited. The one exception is where the liquid is prescribed by a doctor and the passenger has a letter from same.

Although I do sympathise, it doesn't matter that she has poor english, it doesn't matter if she is a nervous traveller, everyone is subject to the same rules. Whether these rules are a good idea or not is for another discussion. The screening staff are only doing their job. Plus, calpol is readily available in the pharmacy right beside security. The difference in this calpol is that it has already been screened and verified as calpol (i.e. safe).

The good news is that from 2013 the liquid restrictions are gradually lifting. Which is good news for all involved believe me!

Cienciano

There's one or two stupid responses here op, such as "don't travel", but you can't deny that buying a bottle in boots right after security is the simple solution to your problem.
I despise security in airports btw. Some of the most idiotic rules I've ever heard.

Cienciano

Elessar wrote: »

The good news is that from 2013 the liquid restrictions are gradually lifting. Which is good news for all involved believe me!

Brilliant, they're finally admitting that it was a kneejerk reaction that does zero for airport security and just hassles normal commuters. Having to put your single small bottle of aftershave into a little plastic bag was the best. I'd say that one really fucked up al qaeda's plans

A Dub in Glasgo

Elessar wrote: »

Plus, calpol is readily available in the pharmacy right beside security

I very much doubt the security staff who confiscated this bottle of Calpol even mentioned this. That would fall into the trait as mentioned above

Elessar

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

I very much doubt the security staff who confiscated this bottle of Calpol even mentioned this. That would fall into the trait as mentioned above

How do you know? Generalise much?

It's always been mentioned anytime I've come across it, and even if it isnt, the pharmacy is right there as you leave the security area. You cannot miss it.

LeftBase

Was this the DAA Irish style checkpoint or the US TSA type one after pre-clearance?

mitosis

How does it matter? These rules have been in place for, um...10 years now!

OP, don't they have security in non-English speaking countries?

Miss Lockhart

I have brought a bottle of cough bottle through security that was over 100ml. I was told the 100ml rule did not apply for medicines and security had no problem with this.

Is there a pharmacist in T1 now? Previously you couldn't get things like Sinutab after security in T1 - I was told this was because they require a pharmacist on site for sale. The pharmacy in T2 does appear to have a pharmacist however.

spurious

When exactly did (it seems) everyone lose the smallest amount of basic cop-on?

bbsrs

Why three threads about the same issue?

1. http://touch.boards.ie/thread/post/80290167
2.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=80290135#post80290135
3.
This thread.

Talk to airport security if you want to complain .

mathepac

alan1990 wrote: »

Thats not a DAA video!!
I had a quick look online and I found somewhere that says you may only take medicines onboard that are prescribed!!
It wasn't from an official site so I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it makes sense!!! ...

What's with all the multiple exclamation marks? Did you mistake this for a Justin Bieber fan-site? Exclamation marks are in short supply and are needed where writers use them sparingly, like when a character in a story exclaims.

mathepac

bbsrs wrote: »

... Talk to airport security if you want to complain .

What? And deny OP access to the national whingers' forum on RTE? Ring the Joe Show, tell Joe all your troubles and listen to him read out the "no comment" fax from DAA. Job done, St. Joe to the rescue..