Latest news with #airlinePolicies
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What Happens When a Pilot Gets Sick or Dies Mid-flight?
Two pilots weigh in on the preventative measures and policies in place to keep everyone Points Commercial airlines take precautions to keep passengers safe and avoid in-flight emergencies. Pilots must pass strict health checks and assess themselves before every flight to ensure they're fit to fly. If a pilot gets sick mid-flight, the other pilot takes full control, and medical support can be coordinated pilots may fly 900,000-pound jumbo jets with hundreds of passengers on board, but that doesn't make them superhuman. Like us, they have immune systems that sometimes falter. While it's uncommon for pilots to get sick or hurt on the job, it's not unheard of. And rarely, they pass away mid-flight. Just last year, a Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul was forced to make an emergency landing in New York when its 59-year-old pilot collapsed and died a few hours into the 12-hour flight. Thankfully, these unfortunate incidents seldom lead to accidents or even situations that affect passengers—here's what happens when a pilot gets sick mid-flight. Preventative Measures It's important to note that most sick pilots never make it onto the flight in the first place. 'This is because we assess our 'Fitness to Fly' prior to each flight,' explains Adam Cohen, a captain at SkyWest Airlines. While it's not a comprehensive guide, the FAA's pre-flight health checklist for pilots is called the IMSAFE Checklist. The letters stand for illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion. If a pilot doesn't feel 100 percent in any category, or they've been impacted by medication or alcohol consumption, they should refrain from flying and notify their doctor. Furthermore, in order to fly commercial planes carrying more than six passengers, all pilots need a medical certificate, issued by an official Aviation Medical Examiner. This certificate ensures they're physically and mentally healthy, and it's only good for 6-12 months, depending on the pilot's age. Pilots must be seen by a doctor regularly, and they can't be morbidly obese or have substance abuse issues. What Happens If a Pilot Gets Sick Mid-flight Despite the FAA and airlines' best efforts to ensure commercial pilots are healthy—they even feed them different meals to prevent the entire flight deck from suffering from food poisoning—pilots occasionally fall ill during a flight they're working. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it's a mayday situation. 'If a pilot becomes sick or incapacitated in flight, the other pilot is fully qualified to take over and safely operate the aircraft,' explains Rock Saddy, a pilot and liaison for Cirrus Aviation Services. 'Commercial flights always have at least two trained pilots on the flight deck, and in some cases, particularly long-haul routes, a relief pilot may also be on board.' In addition to keeping passengers comfortable, flight attendants are trained to assist in medical emergencies. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. aircrafts with one or more flight attendants on board are required to have a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved automated external defibrillator on board as well as a first aid kit, plus an emergency medical kit containing certain medications you wouldn't find in a first aid kit. Saddy tells Travel + Leisure that many airlines also have 24/7 access to services such as MedLink that connect flight crews with emergency room doctors via phone, satellite, or radio. If the pilot is seriously ill, the trained doctor will instruct the pilot taking over to divert to the nearest appropriate airport so the sick pilot can receive medical attention. Passenger Volunteers Most frequent fliers can recall a time when they were on a flight and the crew asked passengers who were doctors or nurses to volunteer to assist in the event of a medical emergency. Because this happens rather frequently (although it's most often a fellow passenger, not the pilot, who needs help), the Aviation Medical Assistance Act, which passed in 1998, includes a section that protects medical personnel from being sued for providing 'good-faith' medical care in the event of an emergency. However, this only applies to domestic flights within the U.S. It may not cover you on an international flight. And if you've been consuming alcohol, you could be liable for misconduct or negligence. Ultimately, whether or not you step forward to assist is up to you, so read up on the regulations before you travel. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What Happens When a Pilot Gets Sick or Dies Mid-flight?
Two pilots weigh in on the preventative measures and policies in place to keep everyone Points Commercial airlines take precautions to keep passengers safe and avoid in-flight emergencies. Pilots must pass strict health checks and assess themselves before every flight to ensure they're fit to fly. If a pilot gets sick mid-flight, the other pilot takes full control, and medical support can be coordinated pilots may fly 900,000-pound jumbo jets with hundreds of passengers on board, but that doesn't make them superhuman. Like us, they have immune systems that sometimes falter. While it's uncommon for pilots to get sick or hurt on the job, it's not unheard of. And rarely, they pass away mid-flight. Just last year, a Turkish Airlines flight from Seattle to Istanbul was forced to make an emergency landing in New York when its 59-year-old pilot collapsed and died a few hours into the 12-hour flight. Thankfully, these unfortunate incidents seldom lead to accidents or even situations that affect passengers—here's what happens when a pilot gets sick mid-flight. Preventative Measures It's important to note that most sick pilots never make it onto the flight in the first place. 'This is because we assess our 'Fitness to Fly' prior to each flight,' explains Adam Cohen, a captain at SkyWest Airlines. While it's not a comprehensive guide, the FAA's pre-flight health checklist for pilots is called the IMSAFE Checklist. The letters stand for illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion. If a pilot doesn't feel 100 percent in any category, or they've been impacted by medication or alcohol consumption, they should refrain from flying and notify their doctor. Furthermore, in order to fly commercial planes carrying more than six passengers, all pilots need a medical certificate, issued by an official Aviation Medical Examiner. This certificate ensures they're physically and mentally healthy, and it's only good for 6-12 months, depending on the pilot's age. Pilots must be seen by a doctor regularly, and they can't be morbidly obese or have substance abuse issues. What Happens If a Pilot Gets Sick Mid-flight Despite the FAA and airlines' best efforts to ensure commercial pilots are healthy—they even feed them different meals to prevent the entire flight deck from suffering from food poisoning—pilots occasionally fall ill during a flight they're working. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it's a mayday situation. 'If a pilot becomes sick or incapacitated in flight, the other pilot is fully qualified to take over and safely operate the aircraft,' explains Rock Saddy, a pilot and liaison for Cirrus Aviation Services. 'Commercial flights always have at least two trained pilots on the flight deck, and in some cases, particularly long-haul routes, a relief pilot may also be on board.' In addition to keeping passengers comfortable, flight attendants are trained to assist in medical emergencies. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. aircrafts with one or more flight attendants on board are required to have a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved automated external defibrillator on board as well as a first aid kit, plus an emergency medical kit containing certain medications you wouldn't find in a first aid kit. Saddy tells Travel + Leisure that many airlines also have 24/7 access to services such as MedLink that connect flight crews with emergency room doctors via phone, satellite, or radio. If the pilot is seriously ill, the trained doctor will instruct the pilot taking over to divert to the nearest appropriate airport so the sick pilot can receive medical attention. Passenger Volunteers Most frequent fliers can recall a time when they were on a flight and the crew asked passengers who were doctors or nurses to volunteer to assist in the event of a medical emergency. Because this happens rather frequently (although it's most often a fellow passenger, not the pilot, who needs help), the Aviation Medical Assistance Act, which passed in 1998, includes a section that protects medical personnel from being sued for providing 'good-faith' medical care in the event of an emergency. However, this only applies to domestic flights within the U.S. It may not cover you on an international flight. And if you've been consuming alcohol, you could be liable for misconduct or negligence. Ultimately, whether or not you step forward to assist is up to you, so read up on the regulations before you travel. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure Solve the daily Crossword
Travel Weekly
26-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Skiplagged founder Aktarer Zaman on selling hidden-city tickets
The metasearch site Skiplagged has been irritating airlines for more than a decade by promoting hidden-city fares that violate airline policies. In October, the practice caught up with Skiplagged in the form of a $9.4 million judgment to American Airlines for copyright infringement for using the American logo. Airlines editor Robert Silk caught up recently with Skiplagged's founder, Aktarer Zaman. Aktarer Zaman Q: Has the judgment changed anything for Skiplagged? A: It's a big number, especially when you look at what it's for. It's definitely sad because it's for a narrow issue -- just the American logo, which we had used since our beginning because we thought we had permission to use it. I respect trademark law, etc., but here was a pretty innocent mistake on our part, and this was our penalty as a result. But that aside, everything else we won. About a year ago we stopped showing the logo for American; [it had] no effect on our business. Q: Can you explain the Skiplagged business model? How do you find these hidden cities? A: What's valuable is when a hidden city leads to a drop in the price. That's what we search for. When you want to go from A to B, we find all the Cs and Ds that lead to A to B being cheaper. We built a system that does this efficiently and well. You just search like you would anywhere else, A to B, and we just show you everything else. And we only show the ones that give you actual value. On average it saves about 50%, or about $180. Q: What percentage of your bookings involve an unused hidden city leg? A: It's only about 30% of the bookings. We're still a great platform for finding all your options, A to B. From our archives: Skiplagged's Aktarer Zaman is In the Hot Seat Q: Why do you irk airlines so much? A: Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that we are saving consumers a lot of money. Airlines hate us for this reason. Q: American lost with its claim of trademark infringement, which if successful could have prevented you from showing flights and prices. You've said that's more important than the logo display issue, right? A: It is a huge victory if you look at the big picture. The $9.4 million is a hefty fine. But at the end of the day this is a short-term obstacle. We can carry on. We can continue showing flights and prices. So this doesn't end the business. Q: The judge, in dismissing American's claim of trademark infringement due to the statute of limitations, wrote, "American got wind of Skiplagged's stinky business practices, but it waited a little too long to extinguish the stench." Not exactly an endorsement. A: What mattered from the summary judgment was that a big important part of the case fell apart. While it's not the nicest of comments, I'd like to think that as the court got to know us they got to thinking that we're not actually a stinky business. We're actually helping a lot of people. Q: I imagine not many travel advisors use you because they'd risk the airline coming down on them. What would you encourage an advisor to do? A: I would encourage them to look at the actual risks versus what they hear as rumors. We have an almost 100% success rate with hidden city. This is from hundreds of thousands of customers. You hear about airlines banning people or miles being revoked. But this almost never happens. In all of 2024, we're not aware of any occasion of this. The actual risks of anything else is super low. My advice for travel advisors is informing customers of their options is always a good thing. Tell them what the real risk is and let them make a decision.
