Quintin Jardine's blog

I know that security staff at major airports have a difficult job in the current climate, and  that most do it well. But surely there’s no need to send the rest, a significant minority, to rudeness school as part of their training, as they seem to do in London. A busy day at the Orwellian Terminal 5 at Heathrow, where the rules are set by Big Brother British Airways, is a grim travel experience, with unsmiling staff shouting at people (who are effectively their employers) all the way through the process, with all the grace and charm of those who loaded the trains to Belsen. Now the tendency seems to have spread to London City Airport. A chum of mine passed through its portals yesterday. He  was walking with a stick, having recently undergone a hip replacement. As frequent flyers will know, practices vary from place to place. Yesterday was ‘Shoes off’ day at London City. My friend managed to remove his, but since his mobility is still limited he wasn’t able to bend to pick them up to put them in the security man’s tray, as required. The guy offered no understanding, no sympathy and no assistance. Eventually **** managed to hook them with his stick and transfer them that way, and was allowed to proceed.

My point being, he shouldn’t have had to. The security process is as difficult for the sheep as it is for the shepherds, and made much more so by prison guard attitudes. I’m not damning everyone but there are plenty of that type around, and they always stand out. However difficult the job, if a person cannot, or worse simply will not attempt to do it with courtesy, he should be removed and the opportunity given to one of the many people out there who would love to have it.