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Mother and her one-year-old son kicked off an American Airlines flight for skin condition: But Was the Airline Right?
A South Carolina mother and her baby son were allegedly kicked off an American Airlines flight on Thursday because of their rare genetic skin condition. Jordan Flake had boarded a flight from El Paso, Texas, to Dallas to visit her husband, Chris Flake, before he deployed for the military. She had her one-year-old son Jackson with her. (www.waytoimprove.net) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
If the parents had thought ahead and had proof with them which they should carry to prevent these problems nothing would have happened So the airline was right in doing so.
You bring your one year old baby on a plane who has a genetic skin condition. The American flight crew decides that it is really an infection and that you are lying. You would think that someone would pick up the phone and ask someone with a MEDICAL background their opinion. What is next? Is everyone with seasonal allergies going to have a letter from their allergist stating that they do not have an upper respiratory infection? Another black eye for American.
Say your baby really does have an infectious skin condition that you, and your doctor (with a note) and possibly even some of the flight crew, thought it was merely a genetic skin condition. And say that infection condition spreads. The captain remains legally liable for the health of all aboard. Even with that medical note.
It requires the flight crew to make a quick assessment and acceptance of risk. It sucks because there are so many possible situations. But in the vast majority of cases, everything works out fine.
I have spoken to two captains after they have had to ask passengers to leave. (One because the pax was yelling loudly that she has bad anxiety and another because the pax declared they had a bad peanut allergy and wanted an announcement made that no one should eat peanuts.) Both captains hated making those decisions. But they did out of a genuine concern of safety for all passengers.
It requires the flight crew to make a quick assessment and acceptance of risk. It sucks because there are so many possible situations. But in the vast majority of cases, everything works out fine.
I have spoken to two captains after they have had to ask passengers to leave. (One because the pax was yelling loudly that she has bad anxiety and another because the pax declared they had a bad peanut allergy and wanted an announcement made that no one should eat peanuts.) Both captains hated making those decisions. But they did out of a genuine concern of safety for all passengers.
In the UK, passengers are regularly told that there will be no peanuts served/and a ban on eating them due to a passenger having an allergy. I can't believe that a passenger with an allergy would be asked to leave the plane!
Canuck44 are you or were you a practicing physician or licensed pharmacist in either Canada or the United States. I do no doubt your credibility as I am only curious how you attained this specific medical knowledge. Thank you.
I am still practicing a Pediatric Surgical subspecialty and Chief of Surgery at a US Children's Hospital
Please don’t tell me your from Boston lol.
No, Nova Scotia...I would need a translator in Boston. LOL
Lol but you said a US children hospital lol.
Every bad idea in Medicine originated in the North East. I only go North of I-10 to go to Nova Scotia in the summer. I had my quota of snow and cold weather; sold my snow blower when I moved here 30 years ago...now wear three layers of clothes if temperature drops below 72.
In the past three years trials on a drug to greatly improve his condition have been conducted. I have one child (now age 10) with a very severe form has been receiving it at the University of Miami with great success. While his skin is still leathery, the shedding has been reduced 90% and he no longer spends his life in the doctor's office.
Nothing of the condition of the baby in the article would require his removal while kids with impetigo which is contagious are permitted on board all the time.