The aviation sector is back in the news again, this time not for anything COVID related, but for refusing to board a Nanjing-bound passenger suffering from another medical condition; depression and the display of side effects resulting from medicine taken therefore.
The controversy emerged yesterday, 14 October, when a Mr. Yu, the boyfriend of the refused passenger took to social media to vent his frustration at budget carrier, Spring Airlines. He posted that he and his girlfriend were to take flight 9C8743 from Weihai in Shangdong Province to Nanjing in order that she may undergo medical treatment, but that she was refused boarding on the grounds her hands were excessively trembling.
Yu confirmed that the drug, “lithium carbonate sustained-release tablets” taken by his girlfriend may cause adverse reactions of the nervous system, such as hand tremor.
Such reactions were noted by staff at the security check at Weihai Dashuibo Airport, as Yu and his girlfriend passed through. They were then made known to airline staff working the gate and it was there that Yu’s girlfriend was refused boarding, reports The Paper.
Yu produced evidence to show that his girlfriend had an appointment with the Department of Depression in Nanjing Brain Hospital at 8 am on 14 October. As a result of the urgency, the refusal to board caused Yu’s girlfriend to panic and Yu himself to shout angrily at the airline staff.
The unfolding scene caused other passengers to complain to staff, while some, witnessing the lady’s condition, asked to be reseated on another flight.
With the negotiation a failure, the two had no choice but to take a high-speed train to Nanjing overnight and then rush to the hospital to make the appointment on time. With Yu’s girlfriend’s depression intensified, the situation brought on in her thoughts of suicide, leading Yu to make an official complaint to Spring Airlines.
When contacted by media, a Spring Airlines customer service representative said, “Depressed passengers are not recommended to fly and it is suggested to choose other modes of travel”.
In China, those needing to travel by air in an emergency must present a medical statement issued by a doctor and a certificate of suitability for flight, while the final judgment of the airport staff on site shall prevail.
According to Spring Airlines’ Conditions of Carriage (Domestic), VIPs, unaccompanied children, the elderly, pregnant women, infants and the blind are defined as “Special Passengers”. In consideration of their safety and that of other passengers, Spring Airlines requires Special Passengers to provide corresponding certificates and follow Special Passenger transportation procedures when purchasing tickets.
