Practical Travel Safety Issues - London Gatwick - Security pat-downs

Anyone else think that the Gatwick patdowns are a bit OTT? I've heard complaints about the TSA, but these "ladies" make it all feel like a cheap date gone out of hand - I'm talking unprofessional and inappropriate. Both myself and my husband were further unimpressed to find that they were "checking" inside waist bands with ungloved hands. Ick. When we asked for them to put on gloves they looked confused and had to go seek managerial input/approval and then find some. Cowboys.

Pretty standard at UK airports now if you beep. Count yourself lucky you weren't also sent for a mandatory NoS scan with no opt-out permitted.

Has this practice spread to other European airports beyond the UK?

Not to my knowledge or in my experience.

In the US you get these without a "beep". The walk through metal detector has gone away. If you can devoid yourself of metal objects, enjoy the situation until you adopt the US model.

In the US you get these without a "beep". The walk through metal detector has gone away. If you can devoid yourself of metal objects, enjoy the situation until you adopt the US model.

Oh no, I'm fine with the TSA pat-downs - for the most part they are perfectly "professional" i.e. fomulated, informed and non-sexual.

The two pat-downs I had at London-Gatwick were unpleasant, "unscripted" (just randon feeling of body parts), and one of the searchers attempted to check my waist band without gloves.

I believe that they are attempting to imitate the TSA searches, but without any training whatsoever.

It was highly unprofessional.

After hearing on NPR about immigration into England taking up to 3hrs, let alone the no-opt-out if selected, haven't been there in years, and it used to be a favorite. Now its Ireland or France.

Let's see how they change before the Olympics.