Boarding a Plane when Sick

[wrcsixeight]

I recently flew Cross country, and on the first leg, while in the boarding area, I noticed a person in misery with the flu desperately trying to hide their symptoms.

I said something to him about endangering everybody on the plane with their virus, but it was obvious this was not the slightest concern to him.

With the prices airlines charge to change flights, I had to be honest with myself whether I would be willing to pay them if I were sick and had to fly.

Long story short, this person sat 2 rows behind me, coughing frequently. I spent most of the 4 hour flight breathing through my shirt with my eyes closed touching nothing, fuming over the narcissistic aspects of the populace.

I have a pretty robust immune system, but still got the flu and lost 5 days of work, nevermind the misery of the illness.

I remember that during the swine flu overreaction, China was employing IR cameras to spot people with fevers and putting them in quarantine.

I think if this were a possibility, even if not enforced, it would keep sick people from boarding planes.

Obviously giving the TSA even more duties and powers is not a desirable idea, but there should be some way to keep the sick from spreading their sickness via flying germ tubes.

We obviously cannot count on morals or consideration for others.

What's your take?

 

[Donald]

Its a tough one. I hate to see more rules/laws/signs. It would seem to be common sense to not fly when you are sick.

But you do not know the guy's story. Maybe he did not want to travel, but had to go somewhere like a funeral that could not wait. Most of us would postpone a trip if we had the flu.

If a guy sitting next to me was going to his fathers funeral and was sick, I might not like it, but I would understand.

 

[RiceCake]

This is why I like Asian cultures, where wearing some form of face mask/protector is relatively normal and not terrifically weird.

But people are human. The guy could've been trying to get home, maybe he had somewhere to be; it happens. If I was ill and flying though I'd probably find a way to prevent coughing and contaminating the plane. If not flying was an option, I wouldn't.

What I hate more is being at work with someone utterly sick...they came in sick because they felt overly pressured to perform...and in doing so could get me sick...and I don't want that same conflict of interest, lol.

 

[The_Eric]

Aren't tickets non refundable? Once you buy them, you can't reschedule them can you?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: RiceCake
This is why I like Asian cultures, where wearing some form of face mask/protector is relatively normal and not terrifically weird.

But people are human. The guy could've been trying to get home, maybe he had somewhere to be; it happens. If I was ill and flying though I'd probably find a way to prevent coughing and contaminating the plane. If not flying was an option, I wouldn't.

What I hate more is being at work with someone utterly sick...they came in sick because they felt overly pressured to perform...and in doing so could get me sick...and I don't want that same conflict of interest, lol.


I do most of my work on a laptop and phone. Where the laptop and phone is does not matter much. I stay home if I am sick and take care of myself.

 

[exranger06]

I flew on a plane for the first time in my life about 2 weeks ago. I had just gotten over a cold the week before and was feeling 100% better, except for a funny feeling in my ear. I had seen a doctor the night before my flight and he said I definitely didn't have an ear infection. That jerk is apparently a total quack because it turns out I did have a "really bad infection in both ears," according to the doc I saw at the walk-in clinic while I was out of state. The flight made my symptoms 150x worse and I seriously thought my eardrum was going to burst when landing. I spent the whole trip almost deaf in one ear. The flight back home was no better, it was just in the other ear that time. I finally got my hearing back the day before yesterday.

Moral of the story: never fly with an ear infection. Everyone got to see me writhe in pain in my seat, but at least I didn't spread germs to anyone.

 

[NMBurb02]

That's the price of living in a free country and traveling on affordable mass transit. If you were overly concerned, you could have exercised your right as a citizen of a free nation to pay to change your flight (I'm guessing it would have cost you less than missing five days of work), charter a private plane, or take an alternate means of transport (bus, train, car).

Free people are free to be inconsiderate. I, for one, do not want my government to dictate when and where I can be inconsiderate (which I am not), and would rather rely on others to make decisions that they feel benefit them and society.

And did you really think that breathing through your shirt, keeping your eyes closed, and not touching anything would protect you in any way? Would you use shirt fabric to protect your car's intake from particulates that are much larger than viruses? I seriously doubt that even surgical masks protect against the flu. I believe their use in Asian countries is more of a cultural mass hysteria and irrational beliefs that a masks that does not have any real seals against your face can protect against microscopic germs. Even a full face respirator with HEPA filtration would probably not protect you against the flu. That, or they are primarily used to protect against the insane levels of particulate air pollution (800+ ppm in Beijing recently, I believe).

 

[NMBurb02]

And next time, fly Southwest; no change fees!

 

[CarbonSteel]

I could have been that guy a few years ago. I had to travel to Europe on business and while there, I contracted the flu (even though I had a flu shot). I was more than a little miserable on the 14 hour flight although I had some OTC stuff to help. Not flying was not an option because I could not afford to stay in Europe on my dime AND I wanted to get home so that I could go to my doctor for treatment. Who would have paid for my stay in Europe had your solution be placed into action?

The point is--you do not know this guy's story or his situation so perhaps we should not be so eager to find a "solution" that causes hardships to passengers. We all breathe the same air so a better solution might be to install UV/Infrared or other systems in the climate controls on planes to kill/reduce the airborne germs. We have this type of system in our office (it was one of the ways to obtain gold LEED certification) and I have to say from our old building to this one, there seems to be a lot less spreading of airborne germs.

 

[antiqueshell]

If it were me I would have REFUSED to fly on that flight. I would have gone to the reservation counter and explained the situation, that I had a compromised immune system (yeah a lie, so what) and with the other passenger obviously flu ridden, my health is in serious peril. Had them issue a no charge flight change.

I don't care what the "circumstances" are when infected passengers are on the plane, they are a hazard to others.

NOBODY HAS TO FLY! If you are sick with the Flu or another SERIOUS contagious illness STAY HOME, and reschedule your business.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
If it were me I would have REFUSED to fly on that flight. I would have gone to the reservation counter and explained the situation, that I had a compromised immune system (yeah a lie, so what) and with the other passenger obviously flu ridden, my health is in serious peril. Had them issue a no charge flight change.
I don't care what the "circumstances" are when infected passengers are on the plane, they are a hazard to others.

NOBODY HAS TO FLY! If you are sick with the Flu or another SERIOUS contagious illness STAY HOME, and reschedule your business.

Always an option, but my point is that sometimes it is not a choice for the sick person NOT to fly. It is not so black and white as it is portrayed and there can always be mitigating circumstances to the situation, but we as a society have become so intolerant of everything, that if things are not perfect we cannot cope with it (not saying that is you, just making a general statement).

 

[demarpaint]

Bottom line, not many people give a [censored], and many only care about themselves. Fortunately there are exceptions, the problem is they are far and few.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
Always an option, but my point is that sometimes it is not a choice for the sick person NOT to fly. It is not so black and white as it is portrayed and there can always be mitigating circumstances to the situation, but we as a society have become so intolerant of everything, that if things are not perfect we cannot cope with it (not saying that is you, just making a general statement).

Agreed. What if it was you being sick, and you were flying to see your dying family member? Would you be OK if they prevented you from flying then?

 

[RiceCake]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
If it were me I would have REFUSED to fly on that flight. I would have gone to the reservation counter and explained the situation, that I had a compromised immune system (yeah a lie, so what) and with the other passenger obviously flu ridden, my health is in serious peril. Had them issue a no charge flight change.

I don't care what the "circumstances" are when infected passengers are on the plane, they are a hazard to others.

NOBODY HAS TO FLY! If you are sick with the Flu or another SERIOUS contagious illness STAY HOME, and reschedule your business.


You should try riding a bus cross country and you'll quickly realize how little everyone cares.

Don't like it, go on the next airplane. The fun thing about a free market is they have zero reason to accommodate your needs, unless they're forced to, and the 200+ people paying for a flight means leaving you behind is a very easy proposition.

 

[JHZR2]

This is a reminder to get an N95 face mask and keep it in my flying kit. Ill also get a DIY sign from HD and when I put on my mask, also pinpoint the sick person in seat 23B making everyone else ill.

Its really inconsiderate, unfortunately the way that companies treat their employees, and the fees that airlines charge dont help.

 

[RiceCake]

N95 mask busted, won't prevent swine flu.

I searched N95 mask just to figure out what it is, this is the result. If the sick person would wear one though, perfect.

 

[wrcsixeight]

The Flu carrier on my flight was dressed well enough that I assumed he would be boarding with the first class passengers. He could have certainly HAD to have been somewhere, my impression was that he just did not care and was just chasing another dollar, but I am a biased misanthrope.

I do prefer SW airlines. This particular trip they were significantly more than what I paid with another carrier. Had I been sure I was gonna get sick I would have gladly spent my limited funds to change my flights.

I did not really expect breathing through my shirt was going to act like a Hepa filter, but just imagining airborne particulates floating around from an unprotected cough was more than irritating, and every coughing fit I just lifted my cotton shirt over my nose. The flight was not quite full and those people closer to him had moved to available and highly undesirable center seats to escape the coughing.

He was not really making any attempts to cover his coughs or sneezes, and the one tall lady sitting directly in front of him outright yelled at him when her hair kept being disturbed. Everybody was irritated at this guy, and I was not the only one trying to further filter the air breathed.

Perhaps the sick should consider wearing a mask so as to limit the projectile aerosol of their virus if they absolutely have to fly.

I don't want the TSA tasked with anything more, but what is going to happen when a real pandemic breaks out, with perhaps something more consequential than the flu?

I wonder how many others were infected by this one person.


The next day, I felt mostly fine and could have worked, but knowing the incubation period, and that I could be a carrier, I chose not to expose my clients, and 28 hours after landing, my Symptoms began.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Bottom line, not many people give a [censored], and many only care about themselves. Fortunately there are exceptions, the problem is they are far and few.

This x 1000.

Need proof, take a commuter train, anywhere, but my experience is Chicago, so take one here. I wish that the railroad would put in a "sick" car because that's probably the ONE car I could sit in and not have some typhoid carrier hacking up a lung behind me. Yes, I'm being callous and not understanding, but in this case, it's a work train -- if you were that important to your employer, they'd send a private limo for you. Stay home.

One of my former coworkers was notorious for this, she'd plan elaborate vacations that would use up most of her PTO allotment, so she couldn't afford to take sick time, and every year she'd come down with something that she really should have stayed home to deal with, but God forbid she take unpaid time or cut her vacations down. So she'd come in and do nothing but infect us and call friends/family whining about how sick she was but just had to come in because she couldn't afford the time off.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

What if it was you being sick, and you were flying to see your dying family member? Would you be OK if they prevented you from flying then?



YES... As much as it would be frustrating for me, I would be OK with that. Also that person COULD rent a car and take a couple of extra days or so to do the trip.

Did you ever think that your contagion could actually KILL someone else? It could. The Flu can kill folks with compromised immune systems the young or the elderly.

Have some consideration for others please.

Oh, and "business" trips are NOT A MUST FLY situation. Period.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell

YES... As much as it would be frustrating for me, I would be OK with that. Also that person COULD rent a car and take a couple of extra days or so to do the trip.

The family member could have died by then. What if it was your child?

Quote:

Did you ever think that your contagion could actually KILL someone else? It could. The Flu can kill folks with compromised immune systems the young or the elderly.

These are the joys of public transportation. You can contract something even before you get on the plane... on your way to the airport, or at the airport.

Before I fly, I typically load up on Airborne to help boost my immunity, but really, the only way to not get sick is to never leave home and never invite anyone to your home. Oh what a fun life...