Ask the FA- Birth on Board!

I've been pretty fortunate in my flying career- I've only had to deal with a handful of really serious situations, thankfully none of which were a woman giving birth. However, I have met crew who have had this happen on their flights, and it isn't as rare as you'd think. In fact, a crewmember I know from a previous airline tells me that currently Emirates Airline has the highest rate of in-flight births of any major airline, averaging around 10 per year!


Last year, a Southwest Airlines crew in the US had a woman deliver a baby on board after going into labour halfway between Chicago & Boise, Idaho. The baby was born before a diversion and landing could be made.

Flight attendants from that flight said they asked for aid from a doctor and nurse travelling onboard, and used galley space as a makeshift 'delivery room'. Equipment and training for a birth on board varies between airlines. On a small regional airline, the best you might get is a flight attendant trained in first aid and a quick stop to the nearest airfield for a landing. On bigger international airlines flying long routes, the equipment available can be as sophisticated as that found in emergency rooms, with items such as forceps, anasthetic and other hospital-grade gear. Some crew are trained in their use, but usually a doctor or nurse would be asked to assist if there is one on board.

Airlines flying far over water usually are equipped with a satellite-enabled telephone link to medical centres where doctors and surgeons are on standby around the clock to provide advice for any type of medical emergency that might happen in-flight, including a birth. If there is no doctor physically present on the aircraft, these link-ups enable the medical professionals to guide the crew in how to use the equipment and what to do in a specific situation.

Some babies born in-flight have been granted free travel for life, among other perks. In 1995, a baby born unexpectedly on a Thai Airways flight was given an educational scholarship, as well as special flying privileges with the company, and is considered a "daughter of Thai Airways". One new mother even named her baby 'Asia' after he was born on an Air Asia flight.

(The airline later granted the mother & child free flights for life.)

This gifting of free travel to babies (and often the new mother too) has given rise to the urban myth that airlines do not want to give out so much free travel, and thus restrict the travel of mothers-to-be. This is far from the truth, the actual reason basically being one of the safety & wellbeing of both the mother and the child. Given the risks associated with a birth in-flight, airlines want to minimise the risk to expectant mothers and thus each have their own guidelines.

Some airlines have no restrictions at all, while others require clearance by a doctor after a certain stage of pregnancy. My advice to globe-trotting mums-to-be? Check with your airline (or airlines if using more than one carrier) well before your travel date. Ensure you have any required doctor's certificates or letters, and double check that you have clearance with the airline's own doctors if required. ALWAYS have travel insurance, because having a baby in a foreign country can be expensive, not to mention diverting a whole planeload of people. And always be sure that your specific policy covers birth-related issues.

Got any stories to tell about in-flight births, or simply have another travel related question? Hit me up on Twitter or click the Facebook link in the right column.

Happy flying!

Week's Wrap-Up

I've been a bit slack again (I blame the disgusting weather) so those posts are gonna be a little bit longer coming...

The winter PJ's are out, the heater's been cranked up, and all the crew are complaining bitterly about the rainy weather, struggling in from the crew carpark looking like sad wet seagulls caught in a gale. The dryer in the bathroom has been working overtime as we struggle to maintain uniform, hair and make-up to company standards. Needless to say, it's only kind of working.

The incidences of medical problems has gone through the roof. Whait is it about cold weather-does it make everyone depressed and thus more likely to get sick?

Amongst all that, I managed to have an awesome meet-up with both SkyHighBoy and Vanishing Point on my last Sydney layover. It was awesome, one of the first and one of the more recent bloggers I have known, got to meet, and of course there were stories & gossip galore! The weather was a bit funny but I had a great time, and I hope they did too. Poor SHB was still waiting back for an answer to his mystery allergy, but still came out to meet us. (I think he was getting a bit sick of being off work huh). More on the adventures later.

And in news today, Yemenia Airlines have lost an A310 off the Comoros Islands. It's always a sad thing to have a crash, but I think even more so as this has been a very sad month for aviation. Hopefully they can get to a cause as soon as possible, and more quickly than AF447, as it's quite close to shore this time.

For my faves, if you haven't already, check out my 'Laviator' pics on the Galley Curtain blog!! =)

May Is Flying Doctor Month

Here's one for all the Aussies, but I'm sure many of you in other countries will find it interesting as well. This May is Flying Doctor Month, and specifically today is Flying Doctor Day, where they have volunteers collecting funds on behalf of this very worthy organisation.

In a country like Australia, with such vast distances between many people and medical facilities, a service such as the RFDS is vital. In many cases it can be the difference between life & death for patients. The Royal Flying Doctor Service was started by the Rev. John Flynn, as a way of providing a 'mantle of safety' to those living and working in remote areas.



In my previous airline life, I met & worked with many people involved with, or connected to, the RFDS. They had so many amazing stories, it made me want to do what I could to help out. I find it amazing that in this day and age, that our government doesn't see it necessary to fully fund this service, instead making them rely on public donations to cover their equipment & renewing the rather expensive aircraft fleet. The modifications to carry stretechers alone cost a heck of a lot of money, not to mention havving the aircraft structure & engiones modified to carry the extra weight.

Here's a mission as told by one of the RFDS Doctors:

It was a quiet Monday morning in the office, what a sentence! The billy was being boiled for smoko when the telephone rang. A stockman from a station out on the Diamantina was mustering on his horse in the Diamantina Channels when the horse tripped and fell and rolled on the stockman. As it got up, it kicked him in the back. The man was instantly paralysed. Fortunately on that occasion there was another ringer with him and he was able to summons help.

A vehicle with a HF Radio in it was despatched to the scene who then reported back to the station the stockman's condition and the station staff then contacted myself.

Communicating directly with the people at the scene by HF Radio in the vehicle, I made a mental assessment of his condition. My orders were to leave him absolutely as they found him and not move anything. Provide some shade for him and keep him nil by mouth. Pain relief was offered by injection which is always an emotive issue in those not trained to give injections. However, I was able to talk them through it again with the aid of HF Radio.

Our team was summonsed and we departed Charleville for the station.

On arrival out there we off loaded the necessary emergency equipment from our aeroplane into the station ute and drove to the homestead to take stock of the situation. We were told that the location of the accident was some two and a half hours driving away from the homestead over very rough Diamantina Channels. Fortunately a small two seater mustering helicopter caught my eye, but I was told there was no room for any equipment in the helicopter. Helen (the nurse who also happens to be Dr Balmain's wife) agreed to come on out to the scene in the ute with the equipment on board whilst I took a handful of diagnostic equipment in the helicopter and flew more rapidly out to the scene with a view to having the patient assessed by the time the ute arrived.

When I finally arrived at the scene and working only with the contents of one small bag, I was able to assess him and plan a course of action appropriately. We had a 49 year old man with quadriplegia, unable to move any limbs at all because of his spinal injury.

At that stage there was nothing I could do except wait until the utility arrived with our equipment in it some two and a bit hours later.

On arrival of the equipment, working in the heat, the dust and the flies we transferred the patient, very gently from the ground onto the spinal mattress. The trip over the Diamantina channels back to the station obviously took a lot longer than the outward trip for fear of causing further damage to his spine. Back at the station various tubes, pipes, masks and bags were placed appropriately and massive doses of the appropriate steroid were given intravenously.

Contact was then made with the spinal injuries unit of a major Brisbane Hospital, who agreed to accept him and he was loaded on board the aircraft with the remainder of our equipment and we took off firstly for Charleville to refuel and then on to Brisbane.

Last light had overtaken us even before we had left the station, and it was approaching midnight by the time we landed in Brisbane. We were met at Brisbane airport by an ambulance for the next leg of our trip to the hospital.

This man is now back in full time employment on the station and the comments I got from the specialists in Brisbane were that his recovery was as much as anything else due to the fact that he had the early intervention with the drugs, and also because of the mode of movement and transport.

I believe there would have been no other medical service in the world that could have offered this injured stockman the treatment he required as quickly as he did, in an area as isolated as it was by an organisation such as the RFDS.

The whole procedure had taken about fourteen hours but the final result proved worthwhile.



As they say, if you're living in or visiting Australia, you never know when you might need the Flying Doctor.

You can help keep them flying by clicking here.

Picture: Pilatus PC-13 (c) 2008 Jon Davison

In-flight iPods & Medical Emergencies

Hey all,

I'm feeling a little too drained at the moment to do a proper update. Have had a huge past week at work, not least of which involved some medical emergencies. (Last time it was SHB's turn, now it seems, it's mine.)

I promise I will post in more detail, once I've had a chance to rest up.It's just a hugely big weekend at the moment, being Australia Day and everything. (Our version of July 4th, for my US readers.)

Yesterday I dropped my sister in at work, the funny thing was, passing one of the major hotels I just about ran over two of SkyHighBoy's colleagues, who weren't watching before crossing the road. Oops! That could have been a nasty flight delay!

In news for travellers, Singapore Airlines have announced new technology to allow iPod & iPhone connectivity inflight. Pretty cool news for travellers. Other airlines, including Emirates and Delta, are said to be following suit.