Woman’s ‘public degradation’ in pat-down request to Sunshine Coast Airport security

Noosa woman says she was “berated” and forced to show her disfigured body in the security line over a medical misunderstanding.

A woman has spoken of an incident with security at Sunshine Coast Airport. Image: Sunshine Coast Airport Pty Ltd

A woman has claimed she was subjected to “public degradation” at the Sunshine Coast Airport when she requested a pat down due to medical concerns.

Carmen Ryan posted the details of her experience on the Noosa Community Notice Board on Facebook, where she described herself as a “well-groomed, retired woman from Noosa” who had previously undergone radiation treatment for breast cancer.

She spoke of her experience with security at the Sunshine Coast Airport on April 5, where she had “complied with all standard procedures”, including passing through the security scanner.

When she was asked to remove her vest and pass through the scanner a second time, Ms Ryan requested a manual pat-down due to medical reasons, she wrote in her post.

She clarified she had not refused the screening, but requested an alternative to repeated radiation exposure.

Ms Ryan wrote in the post the airport allegedly had installed new scanners about six months ago which require medical certificates if one would like to opt out of radiation exposure.

Generic photo of airport security. Photo: iStock

She claimed this new information was “not clearly communicated to the public”.

Ms Ryan stated in her post a staff member had told her the scanners use “frequency waves” instead of radiation, which she did not accept.

“For 15 or more agonising minutes, I was denied access to my personal belongings, berated, and treated as if I were deceitful,” she wrote.

“In an act of desperation and distress, I removed my top clothing to my waist in full public view to display the disfigured scars of my breast cancer surgery.”

Ms Ryan said she felt she had no other way to prove her medical history to security staff.

She also claimed security had rifled through her handbag without consent to retrieve her phone and read QR-code instructions to her.

Ms Ryan alleged these instructions stated the scanners did indeed use radiation, and passengers have a right to request a pat-down.

A woman has spoken of an incident with security at Sunshine Coast Airport. Image: Sunshine Coast Airport Pty Ltd

“Only once I was left bare-chested, barefoot, tearful, and surrounded by my scattered belongings, was I finally granted the basic courtesy of a pat-down,” she said.

Ms Ryan described the incident as a “gross violation of personal dignity” and the right to choose what one subjects their body to.

“Instead of being met with understanding, I was dismissed and lied to,” she wrote.

She claimed she was treated as a “problem to be subdued” rather than a person, and the experience left her “distressed, shaken and sleepless”.

Ms Ryan thanked the “kind strangers” who helped her redress, comforted her and offered her emotional support.

“They reminded me that while systems may become automated, our humanity does not need to disappear with them,” she wrote in the post.

“What happened to me must never happen again — to anyone.”

SCA General Manager Operations Kate McCreery-Carr said the airport took its security obligations seriously and an investigation into the matter was completed, which included reviewing CCTV footage, interviewing security staff and attempting to contact Ms Ryan.

Ms McCreery-Carr noted security staff adhere to Federal Government regulations and procedures.

“For some passengers, the security screening process in airports can be stressful,” she said.

“Body scanners used for aviation screening in Australia do not emit radiation or pose any known health risks.

“We ask any passenger who may feel anxious during security screening to raise concerns with security staff when they first enter the screening point.”

Ms McCreery-Carr said Sunshine Coast Airport strictly follows Department of Home Affairs guidelines for the safety and security of all passengers.

Department of Home Affairs suggest carrying a letter from a GP if some screening methods are unsuitable.

It also lists that passengers cannot choose their method of screening.

It is stated passengers have the right to refuse screenings, but they will not be allowed entry to their gate or their flight.