Mum forced to cancel holiday after autistic child suffers "trauma" at Manchester Airport security

A family were forced to cancel their holiday after claiming staff at Manchester Airport caused distress to their autistic child, calling their experience at the airport “traumatic”.

Luna Muñoz, a career coaching consultant from Liverpool, was supposed to fly to Boston from Manchester Airport with her child Eli, 15, to see family they had been apart from for three years.

Luna made enquiries ahead of their flight last Wednesday (1 June) about the special assistance Eli is entitled to, which includes giving Eli more time to process instructions, such as at security, and finding ways in which they would be comfortable to be searched.

READ MORE: Mum forced to cancel holiday after autistic child suffers "trauma" at Manchester Airport security

But when they got to security, Eli triggered the metal detector and was made subject to a search. Luna said she tried to speak to staff about carrying out the practice in a way Eli would find manageable - such as giving them some time to process the instructions - but Eli had already been touched on their back and shoulder, even though they had started to cry and show clear distress.

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said they are “satisfied” that their staff did what they could to reassure Eli and Luna in this instance.

“I don’t even hug my child unless I have consent,” Luna told the Manchester Evening News .

“And it’s been a while. I understand this person has to do their job. But touching someone on their shoulders or their back is intimate touching, that’s not touching to do their jobs.

“They were trying to be reassuring, but for a person with special needs, that’s not reassuring.”

Upon arrival at Manchester Airport, Eli was given a sunflower lanyard to indicate to staff