Falling ill on a flight

I was chatting to someone today and I've a few questions which I will post in different threads but the first one is, if someone falls ill on a flight and the plane has to land/divert who is responsible, does the person who has been taken ill get charged?

I think the airline would normally suck up the costs (not in their interest to deny someone medical attention) but may try and recover through the traveller's insurance.

Probably depends how close the plane is to its destination though. Not much you can do half way across the Pacific Ocean

I know you can be made liable if it is the result of disruptive behaviour although I think they just cable tie you to your seat if they can.

The person wont be charged by the airline but if they end up in a country with no NHS deal for health they could end up with very expensive medical expenses , my nan gets like 2 day travel insurance when she comes here, just in case this happens.... while she is here medicare will take care of her.

My nan gets like 2 day travel insurance when she comes here, just in case this happens.... while she is here medicare will take care of her.

Now that would probably answer my other thread, do you know who does this and how much it costs?

No, she looked into it and sorted it out dont know who she arranged it through or how much it costs unfortuantly.

No, she looked into it and sorted it out dont know who she arranged it through or how much it costs unfortuantly.

If anyone knows or can find out that would be great thank you, I will do some googling as well

Most insurance won't cover you if it is a pre existing condition.

We had some guy collapse right next to us on an east china airways flight once. He landed on the woman across the isle from my husband. She was screaming her head off. My partner lifted him off. I couldn't get through to help him, so pressed the buzzer. Funnily enough nobody around us seemed to speak English while I was asking them to help hubbie lift him up. The guy was fitting and had peed himself. Hubbie and a steward took the guy down the back of the plane (we weren't far). Hubbie then went up and down the plane looking for a dr, and finding the guys wife (hubbie is one of those amazingly nice type of people).

Turned out everyone around us spoke English when if got to discussing if the plane would have to land (all Eastern European). It turned out we didn't, the dr said it was an allergy to seafood the guy had.

And then some drunk bloke who had been lurking in the background went around telling everyone how HE had picked this bloke up, looked for the dr etc. What an idiot.

I'm sure there was a similar thread recently about travel insurance but maybe I was mistaken. Maybe you can search the archives.

I was chatting to someone today and I've a few questions which I will post in different threads but the first one is, if someone falls ill on a flight and the plane has to land/divert who is responsible, does the person who has been taken ill get charged?

If it were me , I would just call an air ambulance ............:wink:

Most insurance won't cover you if it is a pre existing condition.

 

We had some guy collapse right next to us on an east china airways flight once. He landed on the woman across the isle from my husband. She was screaming her head off. My partner lifted him off. I couldn't get through to help him, so pressed the buzzer. Funnily enough nobody around us seemed to speak English while I was asking them to help hubbie lift him up. The guy was fitting and had peed himself. Hubbie and a steward took the guy down the back of the plane (we weren't far). Hubbie then went up and down the plane looking for a dr, and finding the guys wife (hubbie is one of those amazingly nice type of people).

Turned out everyone around us spoke English when if got to discussing if the plane would have to land (all Eastern European). It turned out we didn't, the dr said it was an allergy to seafood the guy had.

And then some drunk bloke who had been lurking in the background went around telling everyone how HE had picked this bloke up, looked for the dr etc. What an idiot.

They will, but they will charge for it, sometimes less than you think, but it also depends on where you are going. I declare my cancer and pay a premium. ATM it costs about four times normal, which is not too bad. But cover to the states is expensive.

I was chatting to someone today and I've a few questions which I will post in different threads but the first one is, if someone falls ill on a flight and the plane has to land/divert who is responsible, does the person who has been taken ill get charged?

Have just asked my husband, ex airline pilot. There is no charge for the diversion, but you would then be responsible for any health treatment/costs incurred by yourself on the ground. Eg Dr, hospital etc.

also previously I said I would ask a friend when he returned from UK who he insured with as he has health problems. Cancer and stroke. He used Medibank, I don't know how much he paid, but he did get cover.

hope that helps.

Be very careful about the fine print in the policy. A relative was on his way from London to visit us last September and had a DVT and heart attack on the flight as it landed in Singapore. He had the most amazing treatment and spent a week in Changhi Hospital and then had to spend 2 more weeks before he was allowed to continue his travel to Perth. Family members in Perth dealt with the insurance situation and flew up to be with him and to support him. The UK based insurance company verbally gave assurance that all his medical bills, accommodation in Singapore and the travel costs of his two children to fly to Singapore and return to Perth, would be met. The reality is that only the medical bills were paid as when he was discharged from hospital, the insurance company decided his policy was no longer valid and cancelled it. Cost the family in excess of $11,000 - plus the legal fees from the law suit that is now under way in London!

That is truly awful. Hope your relative gets it sorted.

we have annual travel insurance. I had a bad fall in Zambia, and the medical facilities there couldn't help. Flew to Nairobi, flt already booked, was operated on 1/12 hours after landing, luckily stayed with family after hospital till well enough to fly on. Went on to UK, possibly not the right thing, but had so many important family things organised, saw specialist, had Physio. Had to pay upfront for everything which could pose a problem, but had absolutely every thing refunded.

Agree with Rossmoyne, check your policy carefully

We had a person get ill on the flight from Singapore to UK, we were diverted to Dubai as very ill and they were taken off to hospital there, we had to refuel and then go to the UK and we were eight hours late. So long flight. Guess travel insurance would be used if they had it. Actually good idea to have a look at the small print on a ticket or a web site from the airline flying with there is bound to be an answer in their information. Think it would be something that they had to make us aware of.

I discussed this with doctor once and its a problem for them as people are often getting ill on flights, so when they are off on their holidays they never get away from sick people.

I do think though that we have to be responsible and not fly when we are unwell. I for one would not want to be stuck up in the air very ill.

Thanks Ramot - healthwise he is fine now and because of all that happened, took the decision to take early retirement. Not sure how the law suit will go but we don't expect to be successful as they have more money to fight it than we do... just going through the motions really to make a point. However the rellies and me who went up to Singers to be with him had a good holiday together and it was a great bonding time as we normally just get together in Perth and every day life interferes with the bonding stuff. Life isn't all about money, but living and enjoying what you have and do... however it would be good to have some financial recompense.

My wife took ill on a flight between Seattle and Los Angeles. We had just come off a cruise, so suspected food poisoning. They called for medical assistance on board, and a retired fire chief turned out to be the only person with medical experience on board. They were going to divert to San Francisco and offload us, but after checking her over, he said that she should be OK for a couple of hours that the flight would take. On arrival as L.A. paramedics met us, and checked her over, and recommended that we did not continue on until she was well again. No charge from the paramedics as they only change if they transport you. Cost us a $50 taxi ride and a nights accommodation in a hotel. No cost for having to rebook the flight, but if we had needed to stay another day, we would have had to buy another ticket. We sussed out the travel insurance, and because what we had paid was less than the excess, no payment could be claimed.

Be very careful about the fine print in the policy.

Will the ABI not help or do they side with their members?

Will the ABI not help or do they side with their members?

They do not not want to know..... So as I said to begin with... .read the small print however laborious it might be!!! The really really tiny miniscule print at the end of the policy said that if the journey was broken because of illness or injury, cover would cease after release from hospital. Situation with my relative was that the Consultant at Changhi Hospital (who is a Professor and lectures at the Uni on DVT and heart related issues) would not allow my relative to travel even on a short haul flight from Singers to Perth, for three weeks. So my relative was then granted a visitor visa for Singapore and ceased to be "in transit". The fact that he was medically not allowed to fly and that no airline would accept him as a passenger is the core of our law suit. We have good support but we know that if we win this case, it will mean that insurance companies will lose out on so many other cases.... so we know that we more than likely won't win..... but we have friends in the legal field and are going for it anyway!

In a way it reminds me of that film "Sueing God" ... not sure if anyone remembers that, but it was about a guy who was caught up in an "Act of God" and lost his boat and home and the insurance company wouldn't pay out, so as he was a retired lawyer, he decided to "Sue God". Very interesting and emotive film if you can find it anywhere......

Let you all know how we go but I guess it will be a long battle that will end up no-where for us....

They do not not want to know..... So as I said to begin with... .read the small print however laborious it might be!!! The really really tiny miniscule print at the end of the policy said that if the journey was broken because of illness or injury, cover would cease after release from hospital. Situation with my relative was that the Consultant at Changhi Hospital (who is a Professor and lectures at the Uni on DVT and heart related issues) would not allow my relative to travel even on a short haul flight from Singers to Perth, for three weeks. So my relative was then granted a visitor visa for Singapore and ceased to be "in transit". The fact that he was medically not allowed to fly and that no airline would accept him as a passenger is the core of our law suit. We have good support but we know that if we win this case, it will mean that insurance companies will lose out on so many other cases.... so we know that we more than likely won't win..... but we have friends in the legal field and are going for it anyway!

 

In a way it reminds me of that film "Sueing God" ... not sure if anyone remembers that, but it was about a guy who was caught up in an "Act of God" and lost his boat and home and the insurance company wouldn't pay out, so as he was a retired lawyer, he decided to "Sue God". Very interesting and emotive film if you can find it anywhere......

 

Let you all know how we go but I guess it will be a long battle that will end up no-where for us....

That film is called "The Man who Sued God" and stars Billy Connolly. It was a very good film, came out around 2001-ish I think.

They do not not want to know..... So as I said to begin with... .read the small print however laborious it might be!!! The really really tiny miniscule print at the end of the policy said that if the journey was broken because of illness or injury, cover would cease after release from hospital. Situation with my relative was that the Consultant at Changhi Hospital (who is a Professor and lectures at the Uni on DVT and heart related issues) would not allow my relative to travel even on a short haul flight from Singers to Perth, for three weeks. So my relative was then granted a visitor visa for Singapore and ceased to be "in transit". The fact that he was medically not allowed to fly and that no airline would accept him as a passenger is the core of our law suit. We have good support but we know that if we win this case, it will mean that insurance companies will lose out on so many other cases.... so we know that we more than likely won't win..... but we have friends in the legal field and are going for it anyway!

 

In a way it reminds me of that film "Sueing God" ... not sure if anyone remembers that, but it was about a guy who was caught up in an "Act of God" and lost his boat and home and the insurance company wouldn't pay out, so as he was a retired lawyer, he decided to "Sue God". Very interesting and emotive film if you can find it anywhere......

 

Let you all know how we go but I guess it will be a long battle that will end up no-where for us....

That's really interesting, I was probably covered for my fall then, as we didn't change any of our itinary. We were already booked to stay in Kenya for 3 weeks after Zambia, as we were on a special trip to revisit places 40 years after we had lived in Africa.

Hope your relative wins the case.

I do know someone who became unwell whilst on holiday and the Dr. would not let her fly for a further 2 weeks.

As PQ said-definitely read the small print. One thing to be aware of if on a 457 visa (as I have recently discovered) ..... Most Aussie policies will not cover us. In the small print it mentions permanent residents/citizens only. I had to specifically search for travel insurance for temporary/non-residents-the cost is obviously higher too.

Pom Queen what you need is a one-way policy - if it is flying to the UK try Insureandgo for flying to Australia we used 'Go Walkabout'.

Insureandgo do not cover pre-existing conditions though (if I am remembering correctly) - we wanted a policy which would cover a missed flight (as we were changing airlines) and we couldn't find a one way policy that would cover that and pre-existing conditions so took the chance on pre-existing (declared them just knew we wouldn't be covered).