Is it reasonable?, "Passengers with cancer are denied boarding"

"There is also a hospital certificate, everything is there. You don't want me to leave?" Recently, the experience of a cancer patient checking in at the airport has attracted attention.

On the 15th, China News Finance called Chengdu Airlines customer service to verify this matter. The other party responded, "I see this happening so far."

The customer service representative also stated that due to the involvement of passenger privacy, the handling of the incident cannot be disclosed. "In general, when encountering such situations, passengers are usually issued a refusal certificate. After receiving the refusal certificate, passengers can apply for a full refund of their tickets."

"Why can't cancer patients take a plane?" Many netizens have this question.

"Late stage cancer passengers are not allowed to be transported"

Chengdu Airlines customer service told reporters that there is indeed a rule that late stage cancer passengers are not allowed to be transported. As for defining the early and late stages of cancer, it also depends on the certificate issued by the hospital. If passengers have specific needs, they need to send the relevant materials and see if the company will approve the application.

As for the reason, Chengdu Airlines customer service explained that the situation on the plane and on the ground is different, and there may be a problem of oxygen deficiency. For the safety of passengers, patients with severe heart disease, severe otitis media, spontaneous pneumothorax, head injury, mental illness, etc. are not allowed to board the plane. In addition, passengers who need intravenous infusion or oxygen cannot board the plane.

The reporter noticed that the "General Conditions for Domestic Transportation of Passengers and Luggage of Chengdu Airlines Co., Ltd." shows that there are indeed relevant regulations in the relevant explanations of "refusal of transportation and restriction of transportation".

Screenshot of the General Conditions for Domestic Transportation of Passengers and Luggage of Chengdu Airlines Co., Ltd.

Is Chengdu Airlines a special case?

Zhongxin Finance has noticed that in addition to Chengdu Airlines, the three major domestic airlines also have corresponding regulations in carrying sick passengers.

For example, all three major airlines have explicitly refused to transport pregnant women who have reached 36 weeks of pregnancy, as well as mentally ill patients who are in a state of illness. China Southern Airlines also mentioned in the "General Conditions for Domestic Transportation of Passengers and Luggage" that it refuses to transport advanced cancer patients.

Air China customer service told China News Finance that there will be transportation restrictions for passengers with mental illnesses. If the staff determines that there is a problem, they will refuse to board the plane. However, if the passenger suffers from other diseases such as cancer, there is not much problem. As long as the doctor ensures that the passenger is suitable for boarding, Air China can accept it without requiring the passenger to provide relevant proof.

China Eastern Airlines has clarified the service instructions for special passengers such as stretchers, unaccompanied children, oxygen use, and sick passengers in its "Special Passenger Service Instructions".

According to China Eastern Airlines regulations, oxygen passengers must be accompanied by at least one medical staff member or adult passenger during travel, and medical staff members must present identification and occupational proof. Oxygen is charged at a rate of 300 RMB per bottle; Passengers with stretchers or disabilities who need to use medical oxygen devices during flight are exempt from oxygen usage fees.

Screenshot of relevant regulations of China Southern Airlines.

What is the impact of airplane flight on sick passengers?

So, what impact will airplanes have on sick passengers during flight?

Civil aviation expert Li Hanming told China News Finance that the change in pressure inside the cabin during the flight is equivalent to passengers climbing from sea level to a high mountain of 2000 meters in just over ten minutes, and the landing process is equivalent to taking half an hour to return to the ground from a high mountain of 2000 meters.

"Usually, airplanes fly at altitudes of thousands or even tens of thousands of meters, with air pressure much thinner than sea level. In order to provide passengers with comfortable seating, the aircraft's air conditioning system pressurizes the cabin and controls the cabin air pressure at a level equivalent to an altitude of 2000 to 3000 meters."

Li Hanming said that as a reference, the altitude of Kunming, Yunnan is around 2000 meters. For healthy passengers, there is no problem. However, for passengers with respiratory system problems, there will indeed be a certain burden.

According to a cover news report, a doctor from a certain hospital's neurosurgery department stated that if cancer patients have a good physical condition, they can take a plane. However, if cancer patients have reached the middle and late stages and exhibit cachexia, such as anemia and weight loss, it is generally not recommended to take a plane because cancer patients at this stage have a poor physical condition, and most of them have increased intracranial pressure. Taking a plane may cause uncomfortable symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, headaches, and dizziness.

More humane institutional design should be given

So, is the relevant behavior legal?

Yan Bing, Senior Partner of Jiuhe Law Firm, told China News Finance that Article 810 of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China stipulates that carriers engaged in public transportation shall not refuse the usual and reasonable transportation requirements of passengers and consignors. Therefore, the carrier shall not arbitrarily refuse to carry passengers.

He also pointed out that in this practice, whether it is reasonable and legal depends on whether the airline's refusal to load has reasonable reasons and whether it complies with legal procedures.

Article 6 of the Regulations on the Management of Passenger Services in Public Air Transport stipulates that "the carrier shall formulate and publish the overall transportation conditions and refine the relevant passenger service content in accordance with these regulations." Article 8 stipulates that "the overall transportation conditions shall at least include the following contents: relevant regulations for passenger boarding, including the transportation standards for special passengers such as infants, pregnant women, unaccompanied children, and critically ill patients."

Therefore, he believes that for seriously ill patients, airlines can refuse to carry them on the premise of pre formulating and publicizing transportation conditions, which is also responsible for the safety of passengers and the public safety of the entire flight.

Specifically, in this practice, Yan Bing introduced that Chengdu Airlines has indeed made detailed regulations on the conditions for seriously ill patients to refuse to issue tickets. From a general perspective, cancer clearly belongs to a serious illness and is a legal condition for refusal of boarding. But if further analysis is needed, medical professionals need to provide a detailed interpretation of whether taking air transportation poses a threat to the passenger's health.

In addition, sick passengers may also have travel needs, and airlines should provide more humane institutional design.