Best to wear decent underwear at Heathrow

[Ancient-Mariner]

Professor Mary Beard, a Professor of Clasics at Cambridge University required to strip down to her "little black vest (and) no bra" after being asked to remove clothing.
"Down to my scrappy undies. Much to curiosity/embarrassment of other passengers!"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50234426

[PAXboy]

Heathrow staff just do not learn! They have zero understanding of the customer (sorry, 20th century word) whether the Pax are of any age or any ability. They have shown their speciality for handling the disabled and are now seeking to expand their talents. This is a management problem and at the highest levels. They are failing to pay, recruit and train staff correctly.

Once again, it is amazing that the people who run EGLL have not yet heard about social media, smartphones and how they function. Fortunately! So their mistakes can be broadcast as nothing else gets their attention.

[SpringHeeledJack]

On first read I pictured her standing in her knickers and vest, but she was annoyed (rightly) that she was asked to strip down because they wanted her coat to go through the scanner. The issue is that when one wears minimal clothing under an over garment (fleece/light jacket etc) and the security staff operating to 'computer says no' guidelines with no ability or wish to deviate, such indignities will occur. She hadn't planned on this hiccup revealing her lack of layering :-)

[BRUpax]

Indeed. Perhaps ladies need to think through a little more carefully about what they are going to wear when travelling by air!

[Delight]

It is odd that such a highly educated person blindly followed the request and never thought to say, "actually I'm not comfortable taking this off in public". Still, she got her name on the BBC news website and no doubt many of the papers as well ...

[SamYeager]

Originally Posted by Delight

It is odd that such a highly educated person blindly followed the request and never thought to say, "actually I'm not comfortable taking this off in public". Still, she got her name on the BBC news website and no doubt many of the papers as well ...

Haven't looked at the BBC report but on a article on another website she states she did object due to lack of clothing beneath but was still told to follow instruction.

[Paul Lupp]

I have seen the security staff at Heathrow humiliate elderly, frail people before, when I have been passing through.
Personally I think it is outrageous; when a couple. or a small group of elderly people who have mobility issues at the best of time are made to go through the scanners a couple of times when they can barely hobble along, and suffer body searches, requests to remove flat soled shoes etc it's quite clear that they are in no way terrorists nor capable of bringing a plane down. Common sense appears to go out of the window for these "jobs-worths", unless they get some sort of morbid pleasure from seeing the elderly suffer

[carousel]

Originally Posted by Paul Lupp

I have seen the security staff at Heathrow humiliate elderly, frail people before, when I have been passing through.
Personally I think it is outrageous; when a couple. or a small group of elderly people who have mobility issues at the best of time are made to go through the scanners a couple of times when they can barely hobble along, and suffer body searches, requests to remove flat soled shoes etc it's quite clear that they are in no way terrorists nor capable of bringing a plane down. Common sense appears to go out of the window for these "jobs-worths", unless they get some sort of morbid pleasure from seeing the elderly suffer

Just like the rest of the aviation industry security staff have SOP's to follow, common sense cannot be used when your job is on the line.

[pettinger93]

Its not only Heathrow. Have just returned from Hamburg. In very long security queue in front of me, a young lady (in her 20's?) was wearing a coat, a cardigan, and a thin jumper. She was made to take off the first 2, but then objected to taking off her jumper, as she really had very little left under it. None the less, she had to disrobe in front of a large number of people, and went through the scanner in only a very thin vest, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. She put a brave face on it, but it was really not necessary to strip her down to such an extent. If it had been my wife or daughter, I would have been very cross. Something very similar happened to my wife a few years ago Los Angeles, but there, I gather, that sort of bullying is almost expected.

[Asturias56]

My mother always insisted I wear Decent Underwear at all times in case I was run down by a 'bus. A real optimist I thought.......

[yellowtriumph]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

My mother always insisted I wear Decent Underwear at all times in case I was run down by a 'bus. A real optimist I thought.......

I was pleased that I had decent underwear and socks with no holes in them when I was unexpectedly hospitalised due to a heart attack, so your Mother had the right idea I think!

[Mark in CA]

Interesting that the BBC posted this news in their Entertainment/Arts section.

[Davef68]

Originally Posted by Paul Lupp

I have seen the security staff at Heathrow humiliate elderly, frail people before, when I have been passing through.
Personally I think it is outrageous; when a couple. or a small group of elderly people who have mobility issues at the best of time are made to go through the scanners a couple of times when they can barely hobble along, and suffer body searches, requests to remove flat soled shoes etc it's quite clear that they are in no way terrorists nor capable of bringing a plane down. Common sense appears to go out of the window for these "jobs-worths", unless they get some sort of morbid pleasure from seeing the elderly suffer

And that's the sort of assumption that creates holes that the terrrorists can exploit. So (either through agreement or coercion) the terrorists get the little old lady to smuggle their weapons through then pick them up airside?