CaroFos

Hi All. Well it never rains in my household and my daughter has managed to dislocate her patella three days before we are due to fly to Malaga for our summer hols!

She's in a lot of pain and has to wear a Splint for 10 days according to A&E. We have an appointment at the hospital clinic tomorrow.

I took the precaution of calling BA to say we were due to fly and would probably need some assistance to get through the airport and to the plane as she's in a splint and on crutches. Rather than booking a wheelchair, the agent I got said, 'She will need a Fit to Fly certificate - has she got one?!

I was a bit taken aback as she's not had any surgery .. I said we were at the doctors in the morning and would ask.. so she said well call us back once you've got it and we'll take it from there. Didn't ask who I was or look up the booking..

Later I was on the phone again to book a car so I just thought I'd ask again to clarify and the next agent said he'd never heard that before and said my duaghter was perfectly fine to fly without a certificate.. he said the certificate was only required when a postponement had been made and a rebooking requested. He has booked the assistance and offered to select a seat suggesting 35c... As OH and I are in Row 1 in CE and daughter in the back, I think its likely I will have to do the noble thing and swap seats with her but I would kind of like to be in row 6 if this is the case but they are blocked probably til tomorrow. Anyhow, that's another story.. (I will call tomorrow lunchtime at T72)

Would appreciate any thoughts / experience of others with companions on crutches as I don't particularly want to request letters / certificates at the hospital tomorrow if I really don't need to!

simons1

I have never travelled on crutches on BA, however I would probably take the cautious route and get a letter if you are at the hospital.

Strictly speaking it may well not be needed, but it's better to be safe than sorry. As you have found BA staff have a tendency to make it up as they go along and you only need to encounter a particular jobsworth to put a dampener on the start of your holiday.

tom139

Not quite the same but I have travelled with BA whilst recovering from a condition which prevented me from taking my original flight. BA were extremely specific about the fit to fly letter. Headed paper was not enough. It had to have an official 'medical seal' before they'd reissue my ticket! I had to go back to the doctors twice to get things adjusted....!

golfmad

I would suggest you ask the medical team whether they think she's fit to fly. Rather than a paper exercise for BA, I'd want to know the medical team's opinion. Hope it goes well and I hope you have a great holiday despite the stressful run up to it.

jerry a. laska

I doubt that the call centre agents will be able to state definitively if your daughter is fit to fly. They will hear words like recent injury and splint and may be (like the first agent) overly cautious. To avoid any surprises you and your doctor could complete the fit to fly form and submit it to the BA medical clearance unit.
http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/...-and-pregnancy
Form:
http://www.britishairways.com/cms/gl...ation_Form.pdf

CaroFos

Thanks all.. good advice.. lucky we have the appt in the morning. Hopefully they will agree she's fine and issue any necessary paperwork just in case.

I'm just slightly surprised as it hadn't occurred to me it could be an issue.

tia2013

This was 3 years ago so things might of changed.10 days before my first long haul flight ever my boy broke his ankle, him and me were in WTP and rest in WT i had no status then,i called BA and they put us in the bulkhead seats for free and booked the airport assistance they never asked for any medical certificate, at the airport he loved it as we were all wisked through security and had pre boarding same for the return flight skipping all the queues,at the time my hubby joked next time we flew he could put the cast back on so we could all skip the queues again.
We were lucky in that we had an airbridge both ways,cabin crew were fantastic and fussed over him alot he was 11 at the time.
Hope your daughter is feeling better soon.

Anonba

I would personally always ask the question: if they had checked with a doctor and if they had a docs letter, if someone called up and said i wish to travel on original flights, but i have X injury.

Mainly its experience, as some people wont be aware of what they can and cant travel with ie broken arms or legs its usually 48 hours before you travel.

Secondly i've heard cases where the airport asked for documents. While it might be cautious, if i can help minimise or prevent issues or hassle at the airport i share that knowledge.

bealine

Sadly, careers in aviation are being dumbed down to the point that check-in or reservations staff are getting little training beyond that of a supermarket check out wallah!

The request for a "Fit to Fly" certificate is as much for your wife's protection as it is for the airline. The severity of many injuries can be increased by the sustained cabin pressure, the dry germ-laden atmosphere and the cramped seating. For the passenger/patient, this can be painful and quite traumatic. Even something quite routine, such as a tooth extraction, can carry a recommendation not to fly. (In the case of upper teeth, the no fly recommendation can be up to six weeks.)

From the airline's perspective, diversions for medical emergencies are not entered into lightly. Quite apart from the high extra costs involved, there is the inconvenience of all the passengers and crew on the flight to consider.

I would rather place my trust in a GP / consultant or dentist than anyone at the end of a phone line!

CaroFos

Great - thanks so much. Have printed and will take with to hospital tomorrow. Thanks to all for advice and good wishes.

Clareym

Just a thought, I doubt you will be able to swap seats if you are in row 1 of CE - it's classed as emergency exit so you have to be 'able bodied' to sit there

1010101

I would be less concerned on whether she can sneak through at Heathrow and more concerned whether the doctors think its safe for her to fly. My fiance did exactly the same thing a couple of years ago, dislocated the patella and snapped the tendon above the knee. BA did insist on a fit to fly certificate and subject to medical proof happily moved the flights around, but the doctors said she wouldn't be safe to fly until the swelling had reduced and she would need intravenous Warfarin for 2 weeks beforehand. They also insisted on the leg being kept elevated and in a fixed brace. An annoying situation but all handled as well as could be expected in the circumstances.

The only problem was the disability assistance at the airport. She was expected to put the crutches on the security scanner and hop through the x-ray machine, and the CCR staff attempted to blame her because she nearly missed the flight when the wheelchair assistance just didn't bother to show up. On boarding she was expected to get to the seat and put her bags in the overhead lockers unassisted. Hopefully you're with her and can help, but don't expect much from the staff.

BA6501

Not from LHR. Some aircraft from LGW, yes, as well as the LCY fleet.

corporate-wage-slave

I think we've seen queries of this sort before, when a relatively minor injury (a black eye) led to being blocked from travel due to the need for a fitness letter. So always best to proceed with caution in this area. Sometimes one needs to be a bit pragmatic about what one says to whom, but if there is something on your PNR about this - presumably not from what the second agent said - then you best arrive with the relevant paperwork. Having said that, it's quite possible your daughter won't be the only one on crutches on that flight, it's certainly common on the flights I take.

tuff

Last September I ruptured my Achilles tendon and needed a certificate to prove I couldn't fly for my first planned trip (which was to be flying Upper Class for the first time with Virgin). After that I was in a "moon" boot and on crutches and flew to Edinburgh, Marrakesh, Gran Canaria, Berlin and Honolulu (for Christmas Day). On none of these flights was I asked whether I had a "fit to fly" document.