How Etihad looking after passengers.

11 replies

Serg

QFF

Member since 12 Apr 2013

Total posts 1,006

How Etihad looking after passengers. We have shocking experience – my relative has micro stroke and lost conscious on Etihad plane. They call ambulance in transit airport and unload her (still unconscious) to ambulance and they deliver her (still unconscious) to hospital. They never tried to contact us and we could not find her for more then 2 days – you know those very useful sh!t that they call privacy law. When we contact Etihad, they said that there was no accident on airplane (we deliberately asked, because she was prone to stroke) and as far as they know she disembarked from airplane at transit airport. Anyone has similar experience with other carriers? Did they contact you immediately? Did they ever contact you or as least try to do so?

Merc25

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 29 Jun 2013

Total posts 317

I had a minor stroke on a flight Auckland to Melbourne and was met by an ambulance at Melb airport ,I did not hear from the airline again or expected it.they had arranged the ambulance to met the plane and I appreciated that ,their responsibility ends there.if she is still alive be appreciative for what they did and look at the positive side .i say this with experience. 

Serg

QFF

Member since 12 Apr 2013

Total posts 1,006

Yes, of course you can look at anything at different angles. Thanks, she is alive and getting better, but it is NOT because of Etihad – even if I feel appreciative than only to medical stuff in airport. Etihad simply dump her at transit airport and never even bother try to inform relatives and when we call Etihad there was “no records”. I would expect far better

TheRealBabushka

Member since 21 Apr 2012

Total posts 2,058

Serg,

Curious to know what you feel they should have done?

Would that differ to what you think they should have done?

Do you believe any gap in expectations is reasonable?

Serg

QFF

Member since 12 Apr 2013

Total posts 1,006

I feel that they should try hard to trace family and contact us – why then they asking for all those phone numbers and emails? And when I called them and asked direct question they MUST know the answer straight away, it should be on yellow sticker on all their monitors. What do you mean “gap in expectation”? They did nothing, absolutely nothing at all and when I called them “there was no records”. There is no gap here, but some kind of great canyon as far as I can see. But if you feel that it is OK when you cannot locate your relative after she lost conscious on the plane by contacting carrier, then only things that I can suggest that it happens to you.

TheRealBabushka

Member since 21 Apr 2012

Total posts 2,058

I can understand your situation and how you might feel.

Did the admiitting hospital telephone you or a next-of-kin as part of their admission process? Presumably if she was unconscious and it's not the NHS, the hospital will want some recourse to payment.

But you have raised a fair point. Is the information provided by passengers only to be used when there is an incident impacting the aircraft/airline? Does an airline's responsiblity for informing the next-of-kin end when it hands over cases to the hospital?

Is this covered in the Warsaw Convention? What is the limits of an airline's duty of care?

Serg

QFF

Member since 12 Apr 2013

Total posts 1,006

Hospital knew nothing about her except of name (thankfully Emirates as least gave her passport to paramedics!), it happens in 3-rd country – not in Australia, not in UAE, not in country of her final destination. And BTW hospital was very cooperative – lady at reception said that she know nothing, but after some explanation and pleading for help she asked me to call 10 min later and during this time she managed to locate her. So yes, I believe that airline should contact next of kind or as very least unload all available information to paramedics. And I absolutely insist that they must know and tell us what and where happened when we called them. Nothing has been done.

Merc25

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 29 Jun 2013

Total posts 317

Serg don't look to blame,your mothers alive and I'm pleased for that ,look after her and love the time you have left with her,after a stroke we look at life differently and appreciate every day as special if you feel the airline wasn't up to scratch vote with your feet and don't fly with them again .hope this helps

Merc25

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 29 Jun 2013

Total posts 317

Serg relax,TRB has reasonable questions,maybe your expectations are to high,most airlines will ask over the speaker system for any doctor onboard to assist, in my case their was a doctor on board who attended to me.my family was notified by the hospital not the airline.normaly the airline gives the paramedics your particulars.there is an international code of conduct for airlines to follow on such matters .also it depends in with country it occurred 

Serg

QFF

Member since 12 Apr 2013

Total posts 1,006

What do you mean “my expectation too high”? I called them and they said that they know nothing. They simply unload her as cargo from the plane in transit airport and wipe their hands. Could it be any lower?

Merc25

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 29 Jun 2013

Total posts 317

Serg ,go and see your mother give her a hug and be blessed she's alive ,as a stroke victim I speak with experience ,put your energy into her .expectations to high means in my case I could say the doctor should have been better the aline staff moved quicker .the ambulance could have been newer ,the surgeon younger etc etc.if your mother had a panic attack or similar but not a stroke they may not have seen the necessity for better care .by the way I'm not on the airlines side,but merely stating facts .dont fly with them period.hope this helps

Serg

QFF

Member since 12 Apr 2013

Total posts 1,006

Merc, she is not my mother - I never said so and unfortunately I do not have such privilage anymore. I do not even like to discuss if airline did it right or wrong – this part is crystal clear for me. Main objective of my post is to find if such practice is “normal” among air carriers. As least because if I have to “vote with my feet” as you suggest (wholly agree with this part) I need to know where to go or perhaps where not to go. And for record she (BTW 58 only) has stroke (confirmed later in hospital) followed by epileptic seizure and lost her conscious on the plane. She gained her conscious back only in hospital a day later. So it was not "panic attack or similar" - it was very serious.

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