While waiting to board a Wellington to Christchurch, Jetstar flight in New Zealand, Kelsey Hughes was stopped from boarding by an employee who asked her if she had a medical certificate to fly.
Hughes: ‘A medical certificate? No, why?‘,
Jetstar Employee: You need a medical certificate to fly with your pregnancy.
Jetstar policy states that passengers who are 28 or more weeks pregnant need to carry a letter from a doctor or midwife starting that they are fit to fly. Ground and cabin crew are expected to check if they believe a passenger is pregnant.
The only problem? Ms Hughes was not pregnant. She felt “absolutely humiliated at the gate in front of God knows how many people“. Another passenger apologised on behalf of the flight attendant for being “so inappropriate“.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that mothers-to-be have been bumped from Jetstar flights in separate incidents.
How does one do sensitivity training in this area?
Related Posts
Honey, guess what we lost today?
Dad, look what was in my Teddy Bear
English: The logo of Jetstar Airways, a sibsidiary of Qantas Airways. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Stop the Plane, I wanna get off
I had the same thing happen in front of me with a inept co-worker greeting another co-worker wife with the “how many months are you along” and the wife responding that she wasn’t pregnant. The inept co-worker compounded the ackward silence that followed by saying “oh, you’re just joking with me” To which the wife responded, “honey, I’m not pregnant, I’m just fat”…
Humiliated in front of God knows how many loses credibility when she tells the press of it.
Yes, I wondered that! But I assume she is highlighting the way a customer can be made to feel uncomfortable.
Love your wife’s response!
Time for people to stop whining and take responsibility for their lives. Stop making excuses and blaming others for your own life! An honest mistake and a necessary requirement for the GA or FAs to ask of pregnant women.
As soon as it becomes a story about “her humilation etc…” you’ve lost me.