What Exactly Happened to Make Chloe Vow Never Return to the UK?
Recently, the travel blogger was transferring through London Heathrow Airport when she had a horrible experience with security staff due to what she called “brutal” rules.
Source: Edinburgh Live
Apparently, Heathrow has a very specific rule that states all toiletry products a passenger carries must fit into a standard-size plastic bag. Chloe claims that all of her products were within the 100ml limit, but the security agent wouldn’t allow her to take them with her.
Why Did Chloe Have so Many Products in Her Carry-On?
In the video, viewers can see that Chloe was traveling with what seems like an excessive amount of toiletries for a carry-on. But Chloe explained, “London Heathrow has a history of losing bags and I could not risk not having my bag. So I had to take all of my toiletries.”
Source: Talker News
She also told the media, “Last time I connected through Heathrow, I had the same exact toiletry bag and they allowed me to fill up multiple bags with all of the same toiletries that I had on this day. But this time they gave me one tiny bag and I was required to only fill that one bag.”
Chloe’s Response to the “Brutal” Regulation
Chloe said she “had to pick and choose which were most valuable to me and which I needed the most because unfortunately my connections were pretty quick and I knew I was not going to have time to re-purchase any of the items.”
Source: Evening Standard
The traveler was headed from San Francisco to Cotonou, Benin, West Africa, and stated that it was unlikely that she would be unable to re-purchase her necessary and favorite toiletries even upon her arrival.
Chloe’s Experience with Heathrow’s Security Got Even Worse
During this entire debacle, while the security agent was forcing Chloe to sift through her possessions in order to save the most important, Chloe, ever the content creator, attempted to videotape the experience.
Source: Chloe Jade Meltzer/LinkedIn
Of course, that made matters that much worse. The security agent informed Chloe she could not film at that time and even told her that she was “threatening national security.”
Chloe Was Forced to Delete Footage
Chloe was then forced to delete the video, and the agent even checked her deleted photos to make sure it was completely gone.
Source: GB News
She explained exactly what happened, “I tried to take a quick video, considering I am a travel blogger, and when I did that a random employee came up behind me. I think he was in charge or overseeing and said that I was a threat to national security and forced me to delete the video and then go to my deleted as well.”
The Security Agent Scared Her
In a recent statement, Chloe explained that she was extremely nervous during the entire interaction, but specifically when being asked to delete her video.
Source: GB News
She said, “I totally understand [deleting the video] but the way that he did it was very abrupt and it was pretty dramatic and scary. I didn’t realize there was an issue with filming since there are no signs around saying do not film while getting your bag scanned.”
No Videos Through Security is Fairly Common Knowledge
As with any viral video, Chloe’s post has received an incredible number of comments from people around the world, and people are especially interested in weighing in on the camera issue.
Source: Wheelchair Travel
The general consensus among the internet community is that anyone who flies regularly, as Chloe does, should know that taking videos through security is completely forbidden. Though many people have also shown their support and commented that security agents can be unnecessarily intimidating.
To Top it All Off, Chloe Lost Expensive Sunglasses
While Chloe’s biggest complaint is that the rules at London Heathrow were inconsistent and unfair, and of course, that she lost $300 worth of personal products, she actually lost a total of $520 during the experience.
Source: Lancs Live
According to Chloe, in the chaos, she also lost her sunglasses, which she claims were valued at $220.
Chloe Will “Never Come Back” to the UK
At the end of all the drama, Chloe vows to herself and her viewers that she will “never come back” to the UK again, even in transit.
Source: chloejadetravels/Instagram
And she even advisors her followers to do the same, stating, “I always say… NEVER FLY THROUGH THE UK.”
“Sitting Here and I’m Super Annoyed and Sad”
The video clip ends with Chloe sitting in what looks like an airport lounge, telling her followers, “now I’m sitting here and I’m super annoyed and sad.”
Source: MyLondon
Chloe sadly eats a cookie and elicits sympathy from those who saw the clip. And while some people certainly did sympathize with the travel blogger, not everyone felt all that bad for her.
Chloe Stands by Her Video
There is overwhelming support for what happened to Chloe at London Heathrow, but many people have responded through comments that her reaction wasn’t warranted and that the airport security staff were simply doing their jobs.
Source: chloejadetravels/Instagram
Chloe has stated in response to the many comments, “Please note this was recorded on zero sleep and is incredibly dramatic. I do take responsibility for this but It does not make it any less of an unfortunate situation.”