With airport security hitting the headlines in the international press last week after two packages containing explosives were found, one at East Midlands airport, it seems all the more strange that a passenger travelling from London Luton to Menorca last Friday travelled with an axe in her hand luggage, albeit mistakenly, and passed all the security checks with no questions asked.
Pat Palmer, a 74-year old lady from the Cambridge area and a long-time visitor to the island, was travelling with a family friend, Steve Hough, on the weekly Monarch flight. As she intends to spend more time at her villa in Na Macaret this winter Pat thought that an axe she had at her U.K. home would come in handy for chopping kindling for the wood-burning stove in her Menorcan abode and decided to bring it with her. Arriving at Luton Airport, they decided to check in Steve's suitcase which was the heavier and carry Pat's as hand luggage, completely forgetting about the axe.
At the security checkpoint they were asked to remove shoes, belts, metallic items, etc. and the hand luggage was X-rayed but passed through without a problem, despite the fact that the security page on Luton Airport's website specifically lists axes and hatchets among the items that are not permitted in hand luggage.
It was only on arrival in Menorca that thoughts turned to the axe and Pat realised to her horror that Steve had actually carried it on to the aircraft as cabin luggage. Pat is now breathing a sigh of relief as visions of having been imprisoned had the offending item been discovered gradually recede.
A communiqué issued by Luton Airport yesterday states that it "maintains the highest standards in its security checks on passengers and luggage boarding flights from the Airport. If true, Mrs. Palmer's claim would cause grave concern but remains at the moment entirely unsubstantiated".