LondonElite

Does BA employ Franz Kafka? It sometimes seems that way. Best wishes to your son!

Mr Wibbly

They were fine - they said we were still covered - but I was right to tell them before travelling.

Mr Wibbly

Made me laugh. (Mr Wibbly comes from my younger, single, and umm… more alcoholic days….)


Thanks for the good wishes.

All is now sorted out. It took 3 hours on the phone to BA in total, but we are now flying 24 hours later.

The interesting thing to me is that because I had one Avios booking linked to a cash booking, one agent couldn't move both. I spent a significant amount of time on hold whilst the agent called someone in the other department to relay my situation…. this can't be very efficient use of BA's time or training budget….

And then I was charged a Ł40 increase in fare. This could have been worse, but I decided not to challenge it - even though I was moving flights at BA's insistence. However, it could have a lot more - what would others have done in this situation?

LondonElite

Travel, come back home, then write to BA to complain, citing the change was at their insistence despite your doctor's note.

rosswill

Guess it depends on the injury. Our toddler had a cast fitted just before our holiday. The hospital split it once it had been fitted, then sealed it with tape. This was sufficient for the airline to let us fly the next day. We also found a great small family run company who sell vacuum covers to allow her to swim. Guess it's always an emergency purchase kind of item but they were brilliant. They even ship worldwide to your hotel. Hope it's a quick recovery for you.

Often1

This is a well-thought through policy and trying to skirt it is irresponsible and foolish. Swelling inside an old-fashioned plaster cast which has no "give" is a good route to losing a limb or worse. At a minimum, an emergency medical diversion which carries its own set of risks and may not be feasible.

Not all physicians think this through, so the BA (and other carriers think this through for them.

Here, all that was needed was a letter certifying the application of a plaster cast as of a given date and time. The "fit to fly" determination is handled by BA rule.

Calchas

BA must have paid a pretty penny to poach him from AF/KLM

LTN Phobia

I hope the OP's toddler isn't in too much discomfort!

This is true, but also because not all doctors are familiar with the flying-specific effects on the body, and they can't really be expected to be, rather than just 'not thinking this through'.

It's best to follow the airline's policy as their medical section usually is well-versed in this kind of situation.

RTW1

+1. Why not simply have the cast adapted so it's safe to fly. Nothing wrong with the BA policy here....
Knowing that you have a flight shortly after something like this you better do some research quickly. Two minutes on Google and you would have found that most airlines require a split cast when it has been applied in the last 48hrs.

Mr Wibbly

In my son's case, a split cast wasn't an option, so I had to delay the flight, and was completely happy to do so - based on a bit of googling, and despite the fit to fly letter he had. What I was most interested in bringing to this forum was the Catch 22 situation I was in with the PMCU not allowing him to fly (as per policy), and the BA helpline not allowing me to change the flight date without an unfit to fly letter.


My next issue is how to arrange seating all together - having two separate but linked bookings has not given us three seats in a row, but instead a middle and aisle, and the aisle of the row behind. Mrs Wibbly has told me she has the seat away from the children….

Anyway JNB here we come…. FTers do come and say hi if you're on BA57 tonight….

BingBongBoy

Precisely… And anyone who tries to advise the OP to try and skirt the issue vastly irresponsible.

I have, on 3 occasions, been involved in offloading passengers who have done exactly that, and tried to conceal something like this.

I find it unreal that people would suggest you put a child at such risk. Absolutely shocking.

Often1

Agents work from scripts. OP spoke with two different "desks" and the response was framed differently. But, I would not dwell excessively on this contradiction.

All OP needed was a letter certifying that his child had a cast applied within the prior 48 hours. The treating physician's opinion as to "OK to fly" was irrelevant (and frankly troubling) as a less alert carrier might have boarded the child with that letter, to the child's (and others') later detriment.

Mr Wibbly

All's well that ends well - we are all in Galleries North, and boarding soon.

Hoch

Have a pleasant flight and holiday!

H