To be amazed this family were allowed on the flight (Ryanair)

[sickflight87]

We were flying with Ryanair last week to go on holiday.

Before boarding the plane, we heard them calling cleaners to our boarding gate. As we got closer, there was a young boy who had been sick all over the floor. He clearly had a fever and wasn't well at all.

We boarded the plane, and you guessed it, the family were sat really near us. Before the plane even took off, he was sick 2 more times.

During the flight, he was sick every hour. The Mum said 'it is such a shame he has a bug at the start of our holiday'.

I am just amazed that he was allowed to fly when visibly unwell with a sickness bug.

I am absolutely amazed we didn't catch it but I bet other people did. I thought it was SO unfair that he was allowed to fly, potentially infecting so many people on that plane and ruining holidays people have looked forward to all year. I know kids aren't allowed to fly with chickenpox, so why can they with a sickness bug?

"Nothing" as in, not contagious and not a reason not to fly - people are sick for all sorts of reasons, many of which aren't contagious.

If someone is sick multiple times before a flight or take off then they should be denied boarding. It might not be contagious but the crew and ground staff don't know that.

I've had Port Health Authority meet flights where people have been vomiting.

My husband was on a flight years ago and there was a family with a child who didn’t look well. He looked feverish and was crying a lot. The dad was carrying him and walking him up and down the aisle to calm him down. The child proceeded to projectile vomit all over a row of people. That was lovely for them. I don’t even know how you are meant to clean up in that situation. My husband said one woman ended up sitting in just her bra but with a blanket round her for the rest of the journey. It looked like she had washed her hair in the toilet sink as well.

Yes but subjecting a passenger for hours next to someone spewing their guts out. The smell! The sounds! Potentially block the toilets.Even if NOT contagious they still shouldn’t be allowed to board.

You should have called a steward. I did on a flight when a teen was vomiting behind me. Turned out it was heat stroke but they had a doctor come check on them

Dont the cabin crew have authority to deny boarding? They would speak to the captain or something. Its their flight surely if they didn’t want him on they could have said?

I'm partially playing Devil's Advocate but there are lots of reasons why someone might be vomiting that aren't contagious or a cause for concern.

Travel sickness, food poisoning, migraines, low blood sugar, certain medications and heavy periods are all examples.

As someone with emetophobia and a compromised immune system, this would be my nightmare and could make me seriously ill mentally and physically. They are very very unreasonable to expose everyone on that flight.

Yes! They should absolutely not be allowed to fly.

Sorry but you don’t appear to understand.
If you’re vomiting before the flight you don’t get to fly. No ifs, ands or buts.
You don’t always get what you want.
Especially with DC.

I just wonder how that would work in reality, though. Are insurers going to pay out because you have travel sickness and were denied boarding, for example?

I do not have emetophobia and seating next to someone spewing next to me for hours is my worst nightmare!

Depends on their t&cs doesn’t it

It's not that I don't understand - like I've said, I'm partially playing Devil's Advocate - I just wonder how this "no flying" thing would actually work in reality.

You can’t exclude someone for vomiting. It can be motion stickiness from the first flight or a migraine.

I have been that person. The gate agent talked to me. I explained my medical condition and flew. If I had been contagious, I would have completely understood being denied boarding.

vomiting on a flight despite taking prescription anti-sickness medication and other measures is a common experience for people with severe motion sickness. Even if we are fine walking on to the plane, that status may not last.

Sure, I'm just wondering if all the people saying "don't let them fly" would honestly feel the same way if it was them having to pay out for accommodation and new flights when they/their child wasn't actually contagious, that's all.

I know someone who was offloaded with her kids. They were about to fly from USA to Australia. The son, aged 8 at the time, was rather spoilt (putting it lightly). While waiting to take off, the plane was delayed. The son was thirsty and hungry. As was his normal way, he started begging his mother for a coke and even pinching her firmly when a coke didn't appear. For this family, this wasn't unusual. As part of his tantrum, he escalated to saying he couldn't breathe.

Now, this might sound serious if you heard a child saying he couldn't breathe, right before your long haul flight took off. But if you knew the family, this was a standard tantrum for this kid. When a cabin crew member overheard, they called a supervisor and offloaded the family due to health and safety concerns. Also, further delaying the flight while all of their bags were found. You'll be happy to know that the son was perfectly fine as soon as he got his coke and some food.

OMG, I'm not saying we may have quietly laughed about it, but the family did seem to tighten up on the behaviour of their son after that. I'm pleased to say he grew up to become a very lovely young man.

So, sometimes they do offload families when there are health and safety concerns, even if maybe they're not genuine. Can't blame the cabin crew for not wanting to take that chance.

And what about the very very closely confined OTHER PASSENGERS?

I wouldn't assume a child vomiting at an airport was necessarily a life threatening contagious illness.
I mean they used to put sick bags in the front of each seat so presumably vomiting on planes couldn't have been taboo until fairly recently?

I wouldn't want to be covered in sick or to smell it but other than that I don't think I'd assume I'd catch something.
It's not pleasant though.

Unfortunately gate staff just let people board and the crew have to deal with it. On our last trip with Jet2 gate staff allowed a very drunk, abusive passenger to board. We ended up having to return to the stand to offload, caused delay etc. totally unacceptable.

Its called 'thats life' and also what travel insurance was invented for!

But would it pay out if there was nothing medically wrong with you, is my point?

Well it would depend on whether travel sickness is defined as something medical in the t&cs

And risk everyone else's health within close proximity and ruin their holidays too? Amazing.... 🙄🙄
Why do you think schools don't allow a child to return for 48hrs after a vomiting episode?!

But how would anyone know if it was contagious or not?