AIBU to be annoyed with the parents on RyanAir flight today

[catgirl1976]

Flew home from holiday today.

A family got on with a small child screaming. Not a problem - small children do this and I was initially full of sympathy for the parents as we’ve all been there.

Small child (not a baby but not quite a toddler) continues to howl (really, really badly)and just as we are about to get ready to take off a call comes out asking if there is a doctor or nurse on board. Couple of people come forward and it’s clear there’s an issue with the child.

Further transpired it’s fallen on the shuttle bus and really hurt it’s arm. A retired nurse, a midwife and a third year medical student all look and feel it could be broken. All advise the parents should leave the plane as the pressure could make it more painful, risk of blood clots and any turbulence could result in child being further injured. Parents dither. Child is screaming and clearly distressed.

Cabin crew then say the Captain advises they leave the flight and get the child checked as there are no medical staff on board and also mention the air pressure making things worse etc. Parents dither. Parents are advised there is a later flight today to the destination and as it is a medical issue they can get that one instead for no extra cost. Further dithering.

Paramedics are then called and advise all the same things. Parents dither further. Then (after delaying flight for everyone) decide to stay in flight against all advise and sign a disclaimer.

AIBU to think if five medical people and an airline pilot have advised you leave a flight and get your child checked out and there is a possibility of a broken bone and further damage or pin being caused by air pressure and turbulence you don’t stay on the plane whilst your child screams in agony, delay a flight and then decide you’ll just chance it and see how they are?

Rant over....but the poor thing sounded in agony and clearly needed to be checked properly IMO

I'm going to hazard a guess that the parents were in shock and simply unable to cope. They needed someone to take charge and tell them what to do not simply advise them. Sometimes choice is overwhelming.
They were probably on their way home and the thought of being in a strange place with a possible language barrier probably further unsettled them.
I'm very surprised the captain didn't take control and tell them to disembark.

I saw the paramedics with ice packs but I’m not sure if they have any pain relief. I guess maybe their thinking was quicker to do the flight and get to a local hospital (which will be free).

But...they were just so vague about everything and the child seemed so upset. It was odd.

I am really surprised the decision wasn't made for them.

We were up in the air and a guy (probably late sixties) sort of fainted. I saw him get on with another couple, it was an evening flight, and they'd been in the bar, who knows if that affected him. Anyway, it transpired he was diabetic and hadn't eaten all day (WTAF?!)

The crew were worried about him and they diverted the plane to another airport, whilst we were waiting to get there, they gave him a chocolate bar and he came to and seemed fine. Medics came on board, checked him out and said he should get off and be checked out at hospital. Also his 2 friends. None of them wanted to. They argued the toss saying he was fine now. Crew and medics insisted.

It then took over 2 hours to get his hold baggage and have every single piece of cabin baggage identified by everyone on the plane before we could take off for our original destination.

He got off saying 'ooops I should've eaten lunch shouldn't I !'

He was none too popular, we arrived 3 hours late.

It’s not just money that might prompt that decision. There are many factors. If the child needs ongoing medical treatment it might be easier (as well as cheaper) to have it done in a country where they speak the language. There could be other D.C. back in the destination country who need collecting and bringing home. One or both parents might need to get back to work or attend their own medical appointments. They might want family support to help them with the injured child.

There are potentially a million different scenarios that explain why this family made the choice they did. One of them could be that they wanted the child and fellow passengers to suffer as much as possible but somehow I doubt that is the case.

I suppose they could have been worried that if the child did have a broken bone and had to be cast, they might not be able to fly home on a later flight. For a 2 hour flight I can understand why they’d consider options as it may have stranded them there.

This.

Most airlines won't let you fly with a cast until its been on a minimum of 24-48 hours, some also require the cast to be split before they'll allow you to fly.

The parents probably thought that by the time they got off the plane, had their bags removed, got back through the airport, travelled to the hospital, waited to be seen, and then waited to be treated they were probably looking at a time period of 4-8 hours not including time spent travelling back to the airport and waiting for the next flight. Whereas by staying on the plane they knew they would be home in 2hrs and could go direct to A&E from the airport.

I'm an A&E nurse and if it was my child I'd probably have given her a dose of calpol, a dose of ibuprofen, put a sling on and then flown home if it was only a 2 hr flight.

That said, chances are that it was a pulled elbow rather than broken and so I would also have put it back in.

The ditheryness is what is frustrating. They should have made a decision and stuck to it - if everyone tells you to get off and you don't know what to do? Get off!

Not everyone is good at decision making in a crisis. Perhaps they are first time parents and doubting themselves at every turn. Just wanting to get home for treatment in a country they understand. A scary situation and one I’d hate to be judged for.

Was anything at least done to splint for travel?

I can see the attraction of getting home, but what a risk.

Shuttle buses can be awful.

I'm a shortarse so always try to get a seat as don't feel very safe standing.

I think for a two hour flight I’d probably go home, to be honest.

Some parents are just really shit. Poor child.

Do all airports have hospitals on site or nearby?

It's not just the plane journey is it?

And even with insurance, you have to pull the money out upfront. They'd get the cost of the travel, medical bills, hotel, etc back ince their claim was processed but it would still need to be paid in the meantime. DF broke his arm on holiday once, a complex break requiring surgery and costing nearly £4000. They held his passport until payment was received.

I'd guess they had no insurance. Poor little kid.

I'd think it could be dangerous, though. Some years ago we were in the Caribbean and got friendly with a man and his teenage son, who'd broken his arm a few days before leaving home. It had been set and seen to, but on the flight home - just a week later - the boy experienced pain in his arm and the dad - who was a doctor - thought it was potentially very serious.

So after a confab with the flight deck, the plane was turned around - already an hour back over the Atlantic - and the boy and his father were offloaded minus their luggage - since all the faff and further delay to find that would have meant that the whole crew would have been out of hours, and the flight delayed until the following morning.

In the event the boy was fine, but the dad thought it wasn't worth the risk.

But as the dad said, this was one of the times you realise that insurance is well worth it.

I wouldn't judge people for wanting to get home in 2 hours to go to a UK hospital and possibly even one they know.
Yes, if they were going on holiday, or a long flight, but that isn't a major wait.

Growing up, we were 40 minutes at non-rush hour from the local A&E, could easily have been 2 hours at rush hour, especially at certain times of the year.

I notice that all that was said was it "could be broken". I've had a child in that situation. (it wasn't). I've also had a child in a "doesn't look like anything major" (it was broken).

They also know their child.
have one who screams at a drop of a hat. If I took them to A&E every time they'd said they thought their arm was broken we'd have practically lived there. They've never broken their arm or anything else. They've been sent to A&E a few times by various doctors for suspected broken limbs from their reaction. I have also one who would never make a fuss about anything.

If the one who never made a fuss was saying "it hurts" I would be at A&E far faster than the one who screams the place down.

I would also suspect with your list of people who checked that they're all going to play safe. None of them except the paramedic are likely to be dealing recently and regularly with broken limbs. If I was in that situation I'd definitely advise them to get it checked-that's because I don't feel confident saying it isn't broken, no need to get it checked. Doesn't actually mean they think it's broken. All it means is they can't say it isn't.
Wouldn't the paramedic have had calpol/equivalent available to give in that situation.

I would have thought unless the hospital was very local and it wasn't broken, then they'd probably miss the later flight today as well.

I suspect that ultimately the child may have been less effected by staying on the flight and getting back home, and hopefully home in own bed tonight, than having transport to hospital in a foreign country, hotel stay, new flight-would their luggage have been given back to them or might they have had a long delay waiting for that, then sorting aftercare in their local hospital.

I would bet they didn’t have insurance.

I’m amazed the captain didn’t order them off.

There's also the worry that a complicated break might need surgery. So possibly not a simple cast job. Who wants to spend days and days in a foreign country waiting for surgery and then recovery. And like a previous poster said there would be the worry is this the right treatment, is it of a good enough standard? And not necessarily being able to ask those questions?

I broke my leg in France once and they didn't cast it because of flying home. It was just splinted. So if broken and needs a cast the foreign hospital might not cast it.

Costs or no costs, my child is my priority and should be every parents priority in my opinion

They should have been made to get off.

I think in that situation if my child wasn’t in immediate life threatening danger I’d probably take the 2 hour flight to get home and take them to hospital there. V getting unloaded, getting to a foreign hospital, faffing about there and then what? Potentially you can’t fly home that day. Not even about the money. I would make that decision quickly though! And if it’s a plane with families then someone will have calpol with them

I'd have gone home too in the scenario described. A two hour journey isnt that long and if further treatment was needed then at least I would be at home instead of in a foreign country where I'd have to navigate a language barrier, potentially arrange on-going accommodation, further time off work, rearrange flights, etc. All for the sake of a two hour flight when, unless the hospital was next door, it would probably be two hours before they'd even get to the hospital.

I probably would have stayed on the flight. I think it's ridiculous to assume they don't care about their child or don't have travel insurance.

If they'd stayed put they could have gone to A and E as soon as they landed. It would probably have taken them an hour to get off the plane, locate their luggage and get out of the airport. It may then take them as long to get to a hospital in the country they were in as it would to get to a hospital on arrival in the UK.

They probably balanced the hassle of dealing with this in a foreign country, potentially not being able to get a flight for a couple of days, perhaps having to find accommodation and having to meet any treatment/travel/accommodation costs upfront before they could claim them back, against the benefit of having their dc seen possibly only an hour sooner.

They should have been made to get off. I wouldn't have chipped in for their medical bills. Irresponsible to not have travel insurance.

I don't think money would have been on my mind.

However two hour flight then straight to A & E might be quicker easier on everyone than work out nearest hospital get there deal with possible language barrier work out how the system works and then have stress of getting home still.

I'd really want to head home - but possible serious complications would terrify me.

Trying to work out pros and cons with a distressed child would be a nightmare - especially if we as parents disagreed on best course.

I'm suprised they weren't just told to get off.

Sorry but I have total sympathy with the parents here. Nothing to do with money all but if we were already on the plane for a short flight, I would far rather get back to the UK and go straight to A&E here than have to negotiate a foreign hospital and a language barrier. Also, as someone said above, by the time you’ve got off the flight, got luggage back and figured out how and where to be seen, you probably haven’t saved much time. Far better for the child to be back on home turf, especially if further treatment is needed. Those recommending they get off were probably just being cautious.
I think it’s a bit unfair to judge the parents or assume they didn’t buy insurance. They were probably having a bit of a panic and just trying to make the right decision. I know I can’t think straight when my babies are hurt and crying.

Its dithering and neglectful TBH. Suspect it is a cost thing.

Also child was probably more upset by all the dithering. They need a parent to take control and actually effing parent. Various people in uniform, some medically trained, making a fuss is only going to increase the child's anxiety.

All very well saying its a 2 hr flight home & a longer wait in UK A&E, but when you add in baggage collection, taxi home etc, its an easy 3-4hr job. Besides 2 hrs is a long time when you are in pain.