created: 01.10.2004
last modified: 01.10.2010
The security measures in the international air transport have become tighter: Neither nail scissors nor nail files are allowed in the cabin luggage any more. If the airport staff detects one of these, or similar items in one of the very thorough controls, they keep them, shrink-wrap them and hand them over to the owner after the landing.
Without a proper ID, diabetics are easily suspected to carry illegal drugs. So a few precautions should be met, so the holiday trip doesn't end at the airport. To identify yourself as a diabetic, a prescription or a written statement from your doctor is not sufficient. Apart from the diabetic's ID for the country you're travelling to, you have to provide a doctor's confirmation of the medication you have to carry with you.
Unfortunately the web site of the Düsseldorf airport doesn't provide any answers to these questions. But a call suffices: "It's enough if you can provide a doctor's statement, that also says you're dependent on insulin. Furthermore you should carry your diabetic's ID. Then you're also allowed to take your shots with you in your cabin luggage."
Further information:
Email: infobestellung@dus.int.de
Phone: 0211 - 421 - 0 or 0211 - 421 - 6666
For travellers to the USA there are stricter rules. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) provides an overview on their web site (www.diabetes.org):
- Shots, insulin pumps or lancets may only be taken onboard if they show the original manufacturer's label that states the content
- Glucagon sets may only be carried in the unopened original packing
- Diabetic's ID in English version must be carried at any time, since prescriptions and letters aren't sufficient to identify oneself as a diabetic
- Gain information about the security regulations before every flight, since they may differ from airline to airline.
