Turbulence and 'medical issues'

[Ausbt]

Slightly confusing situation today. LAX-JFK on Delta with a long delay before push back. Pilot came over and stated "we have received reports of a lot a turbulence so just a heads-up crew may be a little slow in service today". Ok. Another long delay ensures, and suddenly a female pax marches down the aisle crying and carrying on with one of the crew. I could hear "I'm fit to fly" repeated over and over again. Another delay, and then same female pax and one male de-plane. Pilot back on "sorry folks, we've had to remove a guest due to concerns about the turbulence and her medical issues. Our feeling it was too big a risk for her and so we have asked that she visit our representatives in the terminal. Your safety is our...".

Female pax looked circa late forties, fit. So what are we talking here, mental issue? The 4 hour 45 min flight was continually interrupted by seatbelt warnings, but really not much turbulence in my view. Your average southerly-buster storm cell into SYD provides a bigger thrill than that.

 

[Blackswan]

Slightly confusing situation today. LAX-JFK on Delta with a long delay before push back. Pilot came over and stated "we have received reports of a lot a turbulence so just a heads-up crew may be a little slow in service today". Ok. Another long delay ensures, and suddenly a female pax marches down the aisle crying and carrying on with one of the crew. I could hear "I'm fit to fly" repeated over and over again. Another delay, and then same female pax and one male de-plane. Pilot back on "sorry folks, we've had to remove a guest due to concerns about the turbulence and her medical issues. Our feeling it was too big a risk for her and so we have asked that she visit our representatives in the terminal. Your safety is our...".

Female pax looked circa late forties, fit. So what are we talking here, mental issue? The 4 hour 45 min flight was continually interrupted by seatbelt warnings, but really not much turbulence in my view. Your average southerly-buster storm cell into SYD provides a bigger thrill than that.

Anxiety???

 

[Denali]

Maybe numerous delays + upset pax = attitude and a FA requested someone to be off loaded?

 

[JohnK]

Best to keep your mouth shut in these situations. If you have a concern don't raise it in the first place unless you want to be offloaded.

 

[Dr Ralph]

If you've ever seen the Qantas show 'Ready for Take Off', you'd know that the number 1 rule is to never tell the airline about any pre existing medical conditions.

 

[Denali]

If you've ever seen the Qantas show 'Ready for Take Off', you'd know that the number 1 rule is to never tell the airline about any pre existing medical conditions.

A coworkers family basically kidnapped their grandmother from a Thai hospital, got her on the plane... making out that Nanna was slight tipsy from her grandaughters wedding celebration and would have a nice long nap on the flight home.

Grandma's health declined greatly while in the hospital due to stress and conditions so family actually flew there to rescue her as they refused to discharge her and as she was boarding the plane, Uncle/her son was pretending Nanna was in the toilet or down the hall ect and then paid the bill once he got a call she was on the plane. Nanna recovered 100% and had a very relaxed flight home.

It definitely was a case of don't ask, just do and hope for the best.

 

[Jurahn]

Female pax looked circa late forties, fit. So what are we talking here, mental issue? The 4 hour 45 min flight was continually interrupted by seatbelt warnings, but really not much turbulence in my view. Your average southerly-buster storm cell into SYD provides a bigger thrill than that.

Sounds highly likely to be some sort of anxiety and/or panic disorder. On a Southwest flight from LAX-LAS several years ago, the captain announced soon after take-off that there might be some turbulence during the flight - the woman sitting behind us immediately started going into full panic mode and became quite hysterical. Apparently she and her husband had just come off a flight from Israel where they experienced a lot of turbulence. The FAs kept reassuring her and talking to her - in fact one FA had to spend almost the entire flight literally holding this woman's hand, even though we only experienced a couple of "bumps" and it was only a 1 hour flight in any case. So if you had someone like that on an almost 5-hour flight, such as the OP mentioned, I could see that would be a major problem for the crew, especially if it's someone who works themselves into a state physically as well as emotionally and can either start to lash out or even try to "escape" the situation and have to be physically restrained.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an extremely nervous flyer myself so I can sympathise with people who do get panicky, and I don't like flying at all, full stop - our first long-haul trip to the US just about finished me off! However, flying is a "necessary evil" as far as i'm concerned, if we want to go anywhere, so I've had to learn to deal with it. Still get petrified every time I get on a plane though, and landing is well and truly my favourite part of the flight!

 

[Ausbt]

Still get petrified every time I get on a plane though, and landing is well and truly my favourite part of the flight!

Do you watch/enjoy Air Crash Investigations? My wife seems to find it particularly odd that I do, and I'm sure that's the same for many others here.

 

[Jurahn]

Do you watch/enjoy Air Crash Investigations? My wife seems to find it particularly odd that I do, and I'm sure that's the same for many others here.

I've watched it a couple of times in the past, but not for quite some time - I never enjoyed watcihing it though, really not my kind of program LOL.

 

[openseat]

People can feed off each other in their fear, like this AA flight from Seoul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAOU2Ch6fhw

 

[Ausbt]

Wow, that's crazy. Yeah, I'd be screaming too. A flight like that might put me off for a while.

 

[marki]

Do you watch/enjoy Air Crash Investigations? My wife seems to find it particularly odd that I do, and I'm sure that's the same for many others here.

Oh yes I agree. Also persona non grata at home when doing so!