Getting thereInternational airportVisited Feb 2026
Security screening with medication, and asking early rather than at the belt
Letter and labelled boxes out before reaching the belt, and the officer barely looked at them. Asking for a private screening room ahead of the queue, rather than when it was offered, changed the whole interaction.
If you only read this bit
- Worked
- Documents out before joining the queue, and asking about private screening at the entrance
- Did not work
- Nothing, but only because the asking happened early
- Ask for
- A private screening room at the lane entrance, not once you are at the belt
Everything about screening is easier if the conversation happens before the queue rather than in it. The letter and the labelled boxes were out and in hand at the lane entrance, which meant the officer at the belt had nothing to ask for.
Asking about a private screening room at the entrance rather than accepting the offer at the belt is the difference between a planned step and an unplanned one. It was granted without a reason being requested.
Access details, as at Feb 2026
Private screening: available on request, granted at the lane entrance.
Hidden disability lanyard: recognised by screening staff, not by the airline.
Medication: carried in original pharmacy packaging with the dispensing label intact.
What we would do differently: nothing here, but the same request at a smaller airport a week later took three staff members to resolve, so allow the time.
Access arrangements change, and what one staff member allows another may not. This is one visit written up honestly, not a guarantee of what you will be offered. Nothing here is advice about anyone's health or care.