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HONOLULU - A 16-year-old girl who caught a cold during a school trip to New York was kicked off her flight home because she was coughing.
Rachel Collier was removed from the Continental Airlines plane as it was about to leave Newark, N.J., for Honolulu earlier this week. She had fallen asleep after boarding the plane with about three dozen classmates and woke up coughing and gasping for breath as it was about to take off.
"Everyone was looking at me," she said. "I couldn't talk because I lost my voice coughing so much. I was panicking."
The flight attendants gave her water, and a doctor on the flight said she would be OK to make the 10-hour flight. But the captain returned the aircraft to the gate to drop off the girl and one of her teachers.
Rachel said she started crying when the captain told her to leave. She and the teacher finally made it home the next day.
Teacher Maile Kawamura, a chaperone for the spring break trip to New York and Washington, D.C., said she was shocked. The two didn't know what to do or where to stay, she said. They finally found accommodations in New York and bought clothes and toiletries.
Continental said in a statement that Collier was coughing "uncontrollably" on the plane Tuesday and that "the captain felt he was acting in the best interest of the passenger and other passengers on the flight."
Rachel's mother, Stephanie Collier, said Continental has agreed to reimburse her daughter's expenses incurred during the extra day, including the cost of the hotel.
"I felt it was really extreme for a coughing fit," she said. "We've all had coughing fits." |
Comcast.net Strange News
I think that this is crazy and dumb... all she was doing was coughing, should could have been chokeing on something. So the captain removed her from the plane. I would sue the comapny for that if that was me.I think he did the right thing. A simple cough spreads airborne germs. And some contagious diseases start with just a cough and spreads to the next person. The pilot did his job and looked out for the safety of his passengers.
I wouldn't have made that choice, but it is the prerogative of the captain to decide whether a passenger poses a danger to the safety of the other passengers .
It says she was coughing and gasping for breath.
Maybe the captain was worried she might suffer breathing problems during the flight as the air pressure is lower at high altitude and even though the doctor thought it was ok the captain is the one responsible if something happens to her. Maybe the airline could be sued.
The Captain absolutely made the right decision.
Would it make any difference if they taking off from a location know to have SARS?
I would not want to sit next to someone constantly spraying contaminates on me.
The person should be required to have a medical clearance to fly and be required to wear a mask.
Think if you were a passenger on the 10 hour flight. Would you want a 16 year old girl coughing uncontrollably for 10 hours? That makes for an irritating trip. I think the captain was acting in the best interest of the other passengers.
Besides, the airline company is reimbursing the family for the extra expenses, so it doesn't matter at all.
| Quote: |
| bought clothes and toiletries. |
Why would they need new clothes? | Soulfire wrote: |
| Quote: | | bought clothes and toiletries. |
Why would they need new clothes? |
Probably the airline decided it wouldnt be worth the while to unload their luggage as well, when they were off loading the girl | Scorpio wrote: |
| Soulfire wrote: |
| Quote: | | bought clothes and toiletries. |
Why would they need new clothes? |
Probably the airline decided it wouldnt be worth the while to unload their luggage as well, when they were off loading the girl |
It's likely. Airplane baggage is packed somewhat more tightly than the passenger compartment, think of finding and removing one bag out of a packed trunk right before a road trip. Now think you have a trunk the size of a string of city buses, end to end, and all filled with baggage. It's tricky to locate and remove one bag. | Soulfire wrote: |
| Think if you were a passenger on the 10 hour flight. Would you want a 16 year old girl coughing uncontrollably for 10 hours? That makes for an irritating trip. I think the captain was acting in the best interest of the other passengers. |
.... why can't they do the same for out of control children & the parents who let them run around the plane unsupervised? Now THAT is irritating. Do the parents just assume that everyone else on the plane is a babysitter? From past experience loud, obnoxious & rude kids = loud, obnoxious & rude parents.I reckon the captain did the right thing, in terms of the safety and health of other passengers. Spreading a cold in a confined space isn't a good thing.
The airline should've put them up in accommodation though if they've paid for the flight as a gesture of good will in IMHO. At least in the hotel they can get their clothes washed and cleaned and all that.
I guess what the pilot did was okay. its a 10 Hour flight and the simple cough might lead to ashma attack. the plane has its own medical crew i guess they can only provide first aid solution so Its an acceptable decision.
Hmm...that's sort of strange. If the doctor checked her out and said she was alright, you think that would've been enough...I guess not. I understand the concern about having an asthma attack and whatnot but even still. I wonder if he even warned her, or anything? Said something along the lines of, "You really should chill out, or I'm going to be compelled to remove you from the flight"?
I agree it was the pilots call, but I think it was a bad one and wouldn't be surprised if he is penalized by the company. There was no reason to to assume she would continue coughing for the whole trip and a doctor had already said she would be fine. The pilot is in charge and has to be obeyed, but that doesn't make all of his decisions correct.
I think that that is extremly messed up and the pilot made the absolutly WRONG decision. if the doctor says she was fine than shes fine and the doctor more than deffinatly knows more the coughing fit and the girl than the pilot knew.
well i agree with the one that said the thing about the children i meenif there going tokick somoneoff for somthing like coffing then why notikids running around. and justlast year I was on a 8and ahalf hour flite to italy and there was thes people that started playingmusic and sining at like 1 am and i was trying to sleep and nothinghappend to them
I think the pilot made a good choice since she could have some dangerous disease like anthrax or something that could spread.
| roboguyspacedude wrote: |
| I think the pilot made a good choice since she could have some dangerous disease like anthrax or something that could spread. |
That is pretty out there, robo. A doc checked her out and gave a thumbs up on her being ok. I would think a doc would be the best to judge the possible causes of a coughing fit.
What really gets me about this is that this pilot pulls out of the take-off queue and goes back to the terminal for a coughing, but back a few months ago there were planes sitting on the tarmac for over ten hours due to weather and the pilots wouldn't go back to a terminal, even though there were open terminals. There is something seriously wrong with air travel these days. | HoboPelican wrote: |
What really gets me about this is that this pilot pulls out of the take-off queue and goes back to the terminal for a coughing, but back a few months ago there were planes sitting on the tarmac for over ten hours due to weather and the pilots wouldn't go back to a terminal.... |
Put that way, it really seems a little strange doesn't it? After all, how serious can a coughing fit be? Almost seems as if there was some information that the news left out...Good call on the part of the captain. I wouldn't want to be in a confined space with the minimal oxygen that aircraft now use while someone was spraying germs everywhere.
You've got to think of the majority and that was the right call to make. Especially if it turned out to be something worse than just a cold.
| achowles wrote: |
Good call on the part of the captain. I wouldn't want to be in a confined space with the minimal oxygen that aircraft now use while someone was spraying germs everywhere.
You've got to think of the majority and that was the right call to make. Especially if it turned out to be something worse than just a cold. |
Heck, why stop there. Why not do a blood test on every passenger boarding a plane? There are lots of airborne germs that get spread without even coughing, so just sitting next to someone on a plane for 10 hours is dangerous.
Seriously, if you are that worried about catching something, you really should stay away from all public transportation. She caught a cold. A doctor checked her out and didn't think there was an issue.
Like flintstonian said, I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to the story
that we have not heard yet.
BTW, what does minimal oxygen have to do with anything? | HoboPelican wrote: |
| Heck, why stop there. Why not do a blood test on every passenger boarding a plane? There are lots of airborne germs that get spread without even coughing, so just sitting next to someone on a plane for 10 hours is dangerous. |
But seriously, I'm surprised to see the way most people think.
They agree with the pilot for being sceptical, completely overlooking the findings of a person who's actually qualified for the job.
One would think a doctor's opinion is more reliable than a pilot's if they were to determine the fitness of a person.
I cannot think of any possibly valid explanations for the pilot's actions.
Interesting things happen when jurisdiction overrides qualification.
Last edited by mOrpheuS on Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:04 am; edited 2 times in totalI would say it was a bad call aswell. But so much attention on one coughing girl. Arnt there more pressing issues at hand?
This is incredibly stupid in my eyes...
She was caughing, so what if other people get sick, the girl should have been given a cough drop or hard candy then escorted to sit down. This poor girl will probably be scarred for life from embarrassment, I hope it's possible for her to sue the company.
wow.... 
I think the pilot made the right call. Not for the health of the other passengers, but for the wellfare of the girl. If the doctor (who I believe was simply another passenger, not part of an in flight medical crew) had been mistaken in his diagnosis, and the girl had collapsed or had further breathing problems in mid-flight she could have died before they could land the plane.
In this case it was better to be safe than sorry.
I think that pilot made the right choice.
This day and age you cant take chances cuz people are hoping for a chance to sue your ass.
He just got the kid of the plane so nothing could go wrong. So the pilots conscience would be completely clear while conducting the flight. He would have to thinkg "man, I wonder how this girl is doing. Is she ok?".
Sometimes the smallest thing ignored can become the biggest disaster.
It's never wrong to be on the safe side. And its never wrong to take too much precautions. 
| defnet wrote: |
Sometimes the smallest thing ignored can become the biggest disaster.
It's never wrong to be on the safe side. And its never wrong to take too much precautions. |
What about all the other passengers, who may otherwise appear to be healthy ?
What makes this girl anymore a cause of "disaster" than the person sitting next to her ?
If you want to "play safe" considering the possibility that her condition deteriorates further ... why ignore the fact that the same can happen to ANY passenger on the flight.
To be on the safe side would mean either :
1. Putting all passengers through comprehensive medical screening before any flight, or
2. running computer piloted flights without any passengers.
What I'm questioning is the Pilot's qualification in judging someone's physical fitness.
Surely, they have someone at the airport who IS qualified (perhaps even paid) for that job.but why..! everyone caughs abit, u can't stop it 
Yeah, the pilot did right. It should have been like this. We cannot afford that the whole plane gets ill because of only one person.
No, it doesn't mean that she should be kicked out.
But yes, may be she could have been put in some separate room or something, but shouldn't kick.
| mOrpheuS wrote: |
| defnet wrote: | Sometimes the smallest thing ignored can become the biggest disaster.
It's never wrong to be on the safe side. And its never wrong to take too much precautions. |
What about all the other passengers, who may otherwise appear to be healthy ?
What makes this girl anymore a cause of "disaster" than the person sitting next to her ?
If you want to "play safe" considering the possibility that her condition deteriorates further ... why ignore the fact that the same can happen to ANY passenger on the flight.
To be on the safe side would mean either :
1. Putting all passengers through comprehensive medical screening before any flight, or
2. running computer piloted flights without any passengers.
What I'm questioning is the Pilot's qualification in judging someone's physical fitness.
Surely, they have someone at the airport who IS qualified (perhaps even paid) for that job. |
Not to make a big fuss out of it. But if the girl "who coughed a little before the flight" ends up having a contagious disease or dies on the flight then the pilot would be blamed. People would've said "Well, you couldve taken precautions, there is nothing wrong in being a little carefull". If another "apparently healthy" passengers would end up like my previous example then people would've said "Well, nobody could've known. So we can't blame anyone". See what I mean? Just for saving your own ass, there is nothing wrong in being very carefull. Look at yourself, you wouldn't be able to fly that plane at ease if you knew that there was a "sick" passenger on board and that any catastrophe could be blamed on "your irresponsible behaviour as the captain". This would permanently hurt you, your general reputation and your professional career. | defnet wrote: |
Not to make a big fuss out of it. But if the girl "who coughed a little before the flight" ends up having a contagious disease or dies on the flight then the pilot would be blamed. ... |
It was a cough. How many people die after a coughing fit? How many people who have a coughing fit have a deadly disease? What are the odds? Did the captain know the odds? Or did he make a knee jerk decision that he was not qualified to make? As stated, the pilot has the right to make the call, but that doesn't make his decision correct.
If you are gonna accept this as a proper action, how do you feel about the airlines using thermal scanners to deny flights to any one with an elevated temperature. (I hear they do that in some countries). Or maybe a blood test?
Maybe a psych test. Sorry, I just think it was a stupid decision. If the girl did get worse, the plane could have always make an emergency landing. The captain should have listened to the doctor in a health care issue. | Quote: |
It's likely. Airplane baggage is packed somewhat more tightly than the passenger compartment, think of finding and removing one bag out of a packed trunk right before a road trip. Now think you have a trunk the size of a string of city buses, end to end, and all filled with baggage. It's tricky to locate and remove one bag. |
As far as I know, leaving the luggage in the plane would've been illegal, only luggage belonging to people on board the plane is allowed to fly (At least hear in Europe it's done this way).
Howver, I do think thee Pilot decided correctly, it could've been possible that the girl was carrying some highly infectious disease. It is better not to take any risks. In Aeroplanes the risk of infection is so high that even colds can get easily transmitted.
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| But yes, may be she could have been put in some separate room or something, but shouldn't kick. |
I must say I've never heard of extra rooms in a plane (Well yes, the toilets / pilots cabin count as rooms, however number 1 doesn;t have any safety measures (no seatbelts) and number 2 just isn't feasible).It's nice for the company to reimburse her for the expenses incured. Although i feel for her,for not being on the flight with her school mates, still: you never know want might had happened if she was asked to stay on the plane.
Thank goodness she was ok.
Wow, seems a little extreme, especially for a sixteen year old girl.
