Rajib’s Blog

When transferring my disabled and un-well FIL to Secunderabad for treatment, we were faced with a problem: Should we fly to Hyderabad or take the train? The fare difference was hardly much but the time saved and possible reduction in trauma to patient was substantial. We decided to fly to Hyderabad and started inquiring about the process to shift a disabled (handicapped) or critically ill passenger by air.

We chose to fly with IndiGo since they had a distinct advantage in terms of fare and some other Low Cost Airlines (LCA) already had disadvantage in terms of service. We booked tickets for all of us (5 members) on Feb 8, 2008 and crossed our fingers. Turned out, IndiGo was a good choice after all.

I had heard horror stories where un-well passengers were denied boarding or deplaned at the last moment, and didn’t wish us to become part of that statistic. Hence I started by researching the Internet about flying for the disabled, airline policy, consumer redressal etc. What I learned was:

1. While airlines cannot discriminate against passengers who may not be medically 100% fit, the captain/commander of the aircraft has the final say in this matter. period. It is the responsibility of the patient party to ensure that the captain does not find reason to deplane the passenger. Human nature being what it is, sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised and rudely shocked at other times.
2. It is the duty of the airlines to provide basic facilities such as wheel-chair, stretcher etc. to the passenger and ensure that he/she is comfortably transferred in/out of the aircraft. The airlines cannot charge additionally for this. Of all the airlines, Indian Airlines has the best record for carrying the critically ill while Air Deccan seems to have harassed the most in the past.
3. Typically, such passengers are transferred in/out of the aircraft using an airlift. Few airlines (Indian Airlines) have airlifts stationed at selected airports. Other airlines do improvise or beg-borrow-steal and manage the same feat.
4. In case of disabled passengers (wheel-chair), the passengers are manually lifted into the seat, while for critically ill (stretcher), a row of seats is removed and the stretcher locked into position.
5. Airlines do not charge extra for disabled passengers; since only 1 seat is occupied by each passenger. Most airlines limit the number of disabled passengers to 2 per flight. Boarding may-be denied to more than 2 passengers per flight.
6. If seats have been removed for a critically ill passenger, airlines charge the full-fare for the number of seats that have been removed.
7. Disabled / Critically ill passengers are always assigned the last row of seats in an aircraft. For disabled passengers, this is problematic since the last row of seats doesn’t recline in some airlines. In our case, we managed to move our passenger to the second-last row since the aircraft had spare capacity.
8. Passengers are required to register their handicapped/critically ill status with the airline in well in advance. In case the ticket was booked through a booking office, you must make the request for Wheel-chair / stretcher while booking. In case the ticket was booked through the Internet, you must call the respective call-center immediately afterwards and place a request for wheel-chair.
9. It is advisable to call the airline company before booking the ticket and find out their readiness to accept your passenger. This is particularly important for critically ill passengers.
10. Passengers must obtain a ‘Fit To Fly’ certificate from the Doctor who is in-charge of the treatment. A family doctor’s certificate is acceptable. The fit-to-fly certificate must clearly mention:
    1. The Name, Age, Sex of the patient.
    2. The medical condition which the patient is suffering from.
    3. Current physical status of the patient (critical / non-critical).
    4. The source - destination of his flight and the reason for the travel.
    5. Request for additional facilities such as wheel-chair / stretcher / oxygen which he may require for the duration of the journey.
    6. In our case, we also mentioned that the passenger is carrying limited quantities of Dialysis Fluid (Baxter Make, 2 ltr. bags x 10 nos., 20 Kgs weight) with him and they are absolutely essential for his well-being. We felt the need to mention this in the fit-to-fly certificate since airlines these days are suspicious of powders and liquids. In my FIL’s case, failure to administer Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) for even 1 day can result in him becoming critically ill.
    7. The certificate must be on the Doctor’s letterhead, bear his signature, stamp and registration number.
    8. Carry multiple copies of the certificate since you may have to submit the original to the airline.
11. On the day of the flight, report well in advance of your flight (at-least 1 hour prior to opening of check-in) to the airline counter at the airport. The airline will examine the fit-to-fly certificate. They may also request to see the patient’s medical records and treatment history. Hence remember to carry these as well. The airline will assign one person and a wheel-chair/stretcher to transfer the patient from your arrival vehicle (Ambulance, Car etc.)
12. During check-in, all papers are scrutinized in detail. Airline officials will also attempt to communicate with a disabled passenger.
13. The patient party is required to sign an ‘Indemnification Certificate’ before being issued the boarding pass. The indemnification absolves the airline of all liability in the event that a medical condition arises for the patient during the journey.
14. After the boarding pass is issued, the passenger is wheeled away by airline staff for boarding through private gate. The patient party must proceed with security check-in via regular route.
15. After a hopefully uneventful journey, while the patient party can deplane as usual, the disabled passenger will be deplaned by airline staff. The passenger will be wheeled to the luggage collection area and re-united with the patient party. The airline staff usually assist with handling the patient right up-to the point where the patient has to be shifted to an automobile for onward journey. YMMV.

I hope this document will help you secure a pleasant flight and a safe transfer for your patient. Do revert to me with suggestions that can improve this document.

Filed under: Gyan