Monday, April 02, 2007

[continental airlines] removed for coughing

So what about this 16-year-old girl, Rachel Collier, who was removed from a Continental Airlines plane as it was about to leave Newark, New Jersey, for Honolulu. She'd caught a cold during a spring break trip, had fallen asleep on the plane and then had woken up coughing and gasping for breath as it was about to take off.

The flight attendants gave her water and a doctor on the flight said she would be OK to make the 10-hour flight. But the captain returned the aircraft to the gate to drop off Collier and one of her teachers, Maile Kawamura. Continental said in a statement that Collier was coughing "uncontrollably" and that "the captain felt he was acting in the best interest of the passenger and other passengers on the flight."

Doesn't seem to have affected her too badly - she's planning to fly again soon with Continental. Did the captain do right? Girls that age can be so total in their reactions - it would have been well nigh impossible to deal with. Besides, he was no doctor and he was near the terminal. What do you think?

Inflicted on you by on

2 comments:

  1. Welshcakes LimoncelloMonday 2 April 2007 at 17:05:00 GMT+1

    I suppose in such a litigious society the captain thought he just couldn't take the risk of anything happening. Seems a little extreme but I've worked as an interpreter for med insurers and know it costs thousands if you have to divert a flight if a passenger is ill or there is a death in-flight.

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  2. James HighamMonday 2 April 2007 at 20:54:00 GMT+1

    You're probably right about the fear of litigation. Also, especially among today's chavs etc., there is possibly a fear that she'd be uncontrollable. He decided to wear the criticism rather than get into litigation, as you said.

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