Man carries knives through airport without being stopped

By Freddie Noble

A man accidentally carried two knives through airport security - without being stopped and searched.

Mark Harris, 51, was flying from Manchester Airport to Malaga, Spain, on April 9 and packed his luggage in a bag he'd taken on a camping trip months before.

Mark says he didn't realize the bag contained two steak knives he'd taken on his camping trip in the Lake District.

It was only when his travel companion, Lisa, 52, a part-time cleaner, asked to borrow a charger while the pair were in the departure lounge that Mark unzipped the bag and realized he had the "weapons" on him.

The dad-of-one says he unknowingly took the knives through airport security but claims security guards failed to stop him or search his bag - despite it going through a scanner.

Mark - who is a former security manager- handed the knives to the manager of the café in the departure lounge when he realized and says he was "mortified."

He says five minutes later, he was approached by two security guards who questioned him about his check-in and searched his bag.

Mark claims they were "horrified" he'd managed to slip through but allowed him to continue on his journey.

Mark, from Liverpool, Merseyside, said: "How the knives got through the security scanners, I will never know.

"I felt a sharp blade in my bag, rummaged again, and felt the other blade as well.

"I hadn't been out of the country for seven years.

"If we get to go away, we go to the Lakes quite a lot, and the knives were from a camping trip.

"I didn't know they were there at all.

"It was a totally genuine mistake, and I could've got banged up."

Mark says the mishap was cleared up quickly when he spoke to security, but he did worry he may be told he couldn't fly, due to bringing weapons through security, even though it was unintentional.

Mark said: "I just gave them back to the catering manager and asked her to dispose of them.

"She could see I was dead genuine anyways and I told her something needs to be looked at. Feedback is the best way to improve customer service.

"She [the café manager] called colleagues, and they approached me at the bar area.

"Other passengers were sitting around us thinking 'what's going on here?'.

"Three girls who were quite alarmed were sitting opposite us. When I took them over to the catering manager, I just said If I could have a quick word and that I just wanted them gone

"She [the café manager] didn't understand how I got through with them.

"They had to believe that because it was the truth.

"Who would try to smuggle two knives on the first holiday they've had in seven years?

"They asked me basic questions, and it was scary for me, but it’s even more scary that something like this was missed. The more I think about it, I get really bad anxiety.

"I feel as though I would never be able to pack for holidays again. All I packed were a couple of T-shirts, shorts, and sliders."

The café manager passed the knives on to the security team and Mark was questioned in the departure lounge.

He gave them his flight details and explained what had happened.

Mark said: "I was still sitting on my stool and wanted to keep it as casual and informal as possible. I didn’t want to go to another room because I had nothing to hide.

"I had no intention of using the weapon, but this security breach is really serious.

"They were trying to find who was not doing their job.

"I would be livid if they turned around to me and said that we couldn't go on the flight, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

"She [the café manager] said there will be some re-training.

"Their job [security's] is to protect people's lives. It's not just about protecting people on the plane, it's about people walking around the airport and traveling.

"The more I think about the worst-case scenarios, the more it turns my stomach."

A spokesperson from Manchester Airport said: "Passenger safety is always our number one priority. We have investigated this incident and taken appropriate action.

"We regularly test the effectiveness of our security measures to make sure they are operating as they should and within strict targets set by the government."