Airline obligations for T1s?

[tdonnelly]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can find out what sort of obligations airlines have to T1 diabetics? (Apologies for any x-posting - I did search the forums but couldnt find what I was after).

I have had T1 for 15 years and over that time have always travelled a lot for work (I was a late starter with my T1!). Most of the time it’s been fine and pretty hassle free but I just had a very vexing experience with Turkish Airlines (the worst treatment I’ve had as a diabetic in all that time) and it made me wonder what sort of legal framework / guidelines airlines are meant to follow - which is presumably tricky as they inherently cross many jurisdictions.

Any help gratefully received!
Tom

 

[Robin]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can find out what sort of obligations airlines have to T1 diabetics? (Apologies for any x-posting - I did search the forums but couldnt find what I was after).

I have had T1 for 15 years and over that time have always travelled a lot for work (I was a late starter with my T1!). Most of the time it’s been fine and pretty hassle free but I just had a very vexing experience with Turkish Airlines (the worst treatment I’ve had as a diabetic in all that time) and it made me wonder what sort of legal framework / guidelines airlines are meant to follow - which is presumably tricky as they inherently cross many jurisdictions.

Any help gratefully received!
Tom

It seems to be complicated (as you might expect). When an aircraft is on the ground, the rules of the country where it has landed apply. When it is in the air, the rules of the country it is registered to may apply. See here for a useful article.

Which Country's Laws Are Enforced During International Flights?

Looking at the different factors at play.

simpleflying.com

So as diabetes comes under the Disability discrimination act in the U.K., airlines should abide by it while on the tarmac at a U.K. airport.
But whenever I've flown, I don’t think the airline has ever been aware that I have Diabetes. I certainly never tell them. The only time I have any dealings with people who I might need to engage with about diabetes is when I’m going through security, which is beyond the ailrine's control.
Without wishing to pry, what problems did you encounter whilst on the flight?

 

[tdonnelly]

Thanks for this!

It was to do with seating. I don’t use a pump but inject with pen needles and find there isn’t room to do this properly in window or middle row seats (especially for the twice daily one that goes in the bum!). On short flights this isn’t so much of an issue but I was flying long haul so would have to inject at least five times during the journey - without an aisle seat this would be very disruptive both for myself and the poor folk I’d have to squeeze past to go to the bathroom each time.

Like you, I don’t usually tell airlines I’m diabetic (no need to create the extra hassle) but this time Turkish Airlines online check in wouldn’t let me select aisle seats for my flights without paying a £70 surcharge. I rang them to explain the situation thinking it would be no big deal but got a very gruff response (one of the many customer service agents I was passed to told me to ‘stop being cheap’!) and they refused to change my seats without paying - which I eventually did.

I don’t think I’ve ever had this experience before - normally airlines have either let me select a standard aisle seat for free during online check in (just as part of the normal check in process) or have been very understanding in issuing an aisle seat on medical grounds if I’ve had to call them because I couldn’t do it online. So it just made me wonder what rules airlines are meant to follow about these things.

I suppose it’s not that big a deal (just one of the many hidden financial costs of having T1! ) but the rudeness and inflexibility of the airline made it much worse.

 

[Robin]

Ah, yes. You might expect them to be a bit more sympathetic, in the interests of keeping their customer satisfaction score high, if nothing else. The trouble is, I expect they get a lot of requests from people who don’t actually need stuff, trying to blag extras just for their personal comfort, and it has a knock on effect for people genuinely in need. I think a lot of airlines might have given you the seat, but insisted on a doctors letter, if you said that it was a medical request, which again, would probably cost you.
If you encountered rudeness, there’s no excuse for that, and that’s certainly worth bringing to the attention of Customer Services.
I have always just injected where I’m sitting because it always seems such a big hassle to get to the loo, squeezing past trolleys, and trying to time it when there isn’t a queue, but that’s a personal preference. I don’t inject til I’ve got food in front of me, and I find that with the tray down, and my neighbours busy investigating their meals, nobody ever notices me discreetly injecting in my midriff, below table level. The ones in the bum might be more difficult. I use upper thigh for mine, so can usually do it through a thin pair of trousers if needs must.

 

[Lucyr]

Sounds like you might be maki g a bigger deal of it than is necessary, you could just do your bum injection in the stomach whilst on the plane (pick a different side than for boluses) or do it whenever you go to the loo. For boluses I’d just do in the seat, shouldn’t really need any extra space if you are doing it in your stomach and it’s only going to take a few seconds.

 

[tdonnelly]

Nah. We’ll have to agree to disagree about that. I’ve nearly snapped a needle in myself before sitting next to a larger gentleman who shuffled in his seat as I was injecting. Also, i don’t think it’s ‘making a big deal’ to request a reasonable adjustment on medical grounds - as I say, every other airline I’ve flown with has been happy to make the adjustment when requested (I carry doctors letters as a matter of course and sent them copies via email). We shouldn’t need to be injecting through our trousers or contorting ourselves dangerously when undertaking necessary medical procedures.

 

[Lucyr]

Nah. We’ll have to agree to disagree about that. I’ve nearly snapped a needle in myself before sitting next to a larger gentleman who shuffled in his seat as I was injecting. Also, i don’t think it’s ‘making a big deal’ to request a reasonable adjustment on medical grounds - as I say, every other airline I’ve flown with has been happy to make the adjustment when requested (I carry doctors letters as a matter of course and sent them copies via email). We shouldn’t need to be injecting through our trousers or contorting ourselves dangerously when undertaking necessary medical procedures.

“Excuse me, could you just move your arm a moment whilst I take my medication….. all done Thankyou very much”

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Nah. We’ll have to agree to disagree about that. I’ve nearly snapped a needle in myself before sitting next to a larger gentleman who shuffled in his seat as I was injecting. Also, i don’t think it’s ‘making a big deal’ to request a reasonable adjustment on medical grounds - as I say, every other airline I’ve flown with has been happy to make the adjustment when requested (I carry doctors letters as a matter of course and sent them copies via email). We shouldn’t need to be injecting through our trousers or contorting ourselves dangerously when undertaking necessary medical procedures.

Interestingly, one of the studies from covid showed
"passengers in aisle seats had 64 "contacts" with other passengers during a flight, making it the greatest contact space. The middle seat came in with 58 contacts, and the window seat passengers had just 12"
Do you inject in the seat, or prefer an aisle seat to make it easier to get up to the toilet?

 

[helli]

I too fly a lot for work and have done so on long haul flights where I have needed to inject. I have always done so in my seat and found the aisle seat the place where I am most likely to be jogged whilst injecting. The window seat is the most secure for me. When out in public, I adjust my injection sight accordingly and have lifted my top to inject around my waist so I don’t need to find a private place that is clean (i.e. not a public toilet) to inject in a more “intimate“ site on my body.
I agree the airline could have been more understanding but I adopt the approach to adapt to my surroundings so I don’t have to make any requests due to my personal medical condition.