Airport security lines have long been a source of stress for travelers, but a new complication is leaving some elderly and disabled passengers especially flustered: the nebulous distinction between permitted walking sticks and prohibited “poles.” In a series of recent incidents, fliers have found themselves unexpectedly deprived of mobility aids after airport staff determined their trusty canes were verboten.
The Pole Problem
The heart of the issue lies in aviation security regulations, which ban walking poles from aircraft cabins. However, traditional canes and walking sticks typically get a pass. The trouble arises in how different airports and even individual agents interpret and apply these rules.
According to one traveler who spoke on condition of anonymity, he and his wife, both in their 70s, were barred from boarding with their Leki Wanderfreund walking poles at Newcastle Airport. Security personnel insisted the small metal tips rendered the poles weapons, asserting they could be sharpened to a dangerous point. Offers to remove the offending ends were rebuffed, and the couple ultimately had to check their sticks as hold luggage, to the detriment of the husband’s aid.
A similar scene played out for another elderly traveler at Heathrow, whose folding cane was seized despite only having a blunt metal stud. Here too, staff cited “new” restrictions, turning a deaf ear to the passenger’s dismay at losing a vital mobility device.
Inconsistent Enforcement
Perhaps most maddening for affected passengers is the capricious application of these policies. The same walking sticks that raise alarms at one security check sail through unchallenged on the return trip. Comparable items like knitting needles and scissors slip by, while rubber-tipped canes get flagged.
We had no problems whatsoever on our flight home with the very same walking sticks. It makes no sense.
A frequent flier speaking anonymously
Airports have blamed the problem on staff misinterpreting admittedly vague Department for Transport (DfT) rules. Newcastle Airport conceded its employees were overzealous in the case of the elderly couple, issuing updated guidance and replacing the damaged cane. Heathrow, meanwhile, said its workers should have examined the folding stick more closely before making a judgment call.
Accessibility Advocates Sound Off
For disability rights advocates, these incidents highlight enduring gaps in accommodating travelers with mobility challenges. They argue that better training is needed to ensure staff enforce rules judiciously and treat assistive devices with due respect.
As one activist pointed out, security agents have discretion in many cases to facilitate special needs in screening, such as performing a pat-down rather than forcing a passenger to stand in the scanner. Similar flexibility and problem-solving ought to be applied to walking aids.
To remove a mobility aid without offering an alternative is discriminatory. At minimum, the stick could have been checked planeside and promptly returned.
A concerned citizen voicing solidarity with impacted travelers
Wanted: Clear, Considerate Policies
Ultimately, both passengers and airport personnel would benefit from unambiguous, well-communicated guidelines around walking sticks and other assistive devices. While the DfT maintains there are “no restrictions” on mobility aids, it punts the specifics to individual airports, breeding inconsistency and confusion.
- Explicit rules for canes, walking sticks, poles, and other devices
- Consistent application of policies across airports
- Staff training on identifying and accommodating mobility aids
- Alternative screening methods for elderly and disabled passengers
- Streamlined processes for traveling with necessary devices
Such reforms would go a long way toward minimizing stress and inconvenience for travelers who rely on walking aids, without compromising aviation security. In the meantime, cane and stick users should brace themselves for unpredictable experiences at the airport, perhaps keeping documentation on hand to attest to the medical necessity of their device.
With populations aging across the globe and rates of mobility impairment on the rise, the “pole problem” is not one airports can afford to ignore. By implementing clear, compassionate policies now, air travel can remain accessible for passengers of all ages and abilities for years to come.
