Easyjet and allowance for D meds

[Dory]

Ok, so, off to Spain in June and, following on from what someone (I think you Mike) wrote on here about some carriers allowing an extra piece of hand luggage for meds, I thought I'd give Sleasyjet a call.......

After having them try to accuse me of giving my 1)forename, 2)surname and 3)spelling of 'hotmail' incorrectly on my booking (made in Jan this year), and me politely telling them that as I made the booking over the phone it must have been their staff that recorded all that incorrectly, we finally got onto the issue of handluggage....

Their policy states that they are happy to carry your meds for you, and that they must be separate from hold luggage (which is what the CAA states. So far so good) they then said that this had to fit into any existing hand luggage I had. I pointed out that that would mean taking up half my hand baggage space, and thus leaving me with hardly any space for personal clothes, could she please double check. Cue lift music......

a few minutes later, she's back, confirming that yes, it has to all fit in one hand baggage item, not to exceed XYZ dimensions otherwise I'd have to check it as hold luggage.

When I asked her to confirm that, in that case, Easyjet were discriminating against Diabetics by rendering us with less hand baggage space than non diabetics or, in the alternative, making us pay for, essentailly, space to carry meds on board (ie by checking in a piece of hold luggage), she vehemently denied Easyjet discriminated. She did however say that I was welcome to write in with my concern (oh yay.)

What are other's views on this?

 

[Redkite]

Annoying isn't it. I do find the whole palaver around air travel saps the joy out of a trip. I don't trust baggage handlers not to lose my case, so I carry everything in my hand luggage, including all pump consumables, lancets, spare pens, not just the items that would suffer in the hold such as insulin and strips. So my hand luggage is stuffed to the brim with D stuff, and I can barely cram in my purse and travel docs, let alone any entertainment for the journey. I'm pretty sure I've heard of families being allowed one free piece of hold luggage if it is for medical need on Easyjet (Ryanair though won't do anything at all). But to be allowed a second small hand luggage would make the trip more pleasant in my view.

Let us know what response you get if you do decide to write in to them 🙂

 

[delb t]

Dory we emailed easyjet customer services and were allowed 1 extra piece of hand luggage for medical supplies no extra cost- we went away at easter to bulgaria with easyjet try emailing them

 

[HelenM]

I'd phone them back and quote their own website


We recommend that all prescribed medicine is carried in hand baggage.

You are permitted to carry vital medical equipment/medication and/or up to 2 pieces of mobility equipment as either hand or hold baggage. This is carried free of charge in addition to your standard baggage allowance.

You will be required to present a medical certification from your doctor to confirm that the medication/equipment is required. The certificate will need to include the details of the medication and their intended use i.e. that you must carry this medication and/or medical equipment to sustain quality of life

Hand baggage

You can carry medicine and medical equipment in the cabin free of charge in addition to the allowed 1 piece of hand baggage.


Due to security restrictions any medication in liquid or gel form must be carried in containers not holding more than 100ml. If your medication (vital or prescribed) exceeds 100ml, we will ask you to provide a medical certificate in order to help you to get through security. Further information on hand baggage allowance can be found here.



If you need to carry a large quantity of medicines on board we will need to see a medical certificate or letter from your doctor when you check in.

http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4032/~/medicine-and-medical-equipment

 

[delb t]

we emailed and then print off their response and take with us - there were no probs at all ive looked for the email but OH tends to be abit of a delete nut!

 

[Dory]

I'd phone them back and quote their own website


We recommend that all prescribed medicine is carried in hand baggage.

You are permitted to carry vital medical equipment/medication and/or up to 2 pieces of mobility equipment as either hand or hold baggage. This is carried free of charge in addition to your standard baggage allowance.

You will be required to present a medical certification from your doctor to confirm that the medication/equipment is required. The certificate will need to include the details of the medication and their intended use i.e. that you must carry this medication and/or medical equipment to sustain quality of life

Hand baggage

You can carry medicine and medical equipment in the cabin free of charge in addition to the allowed 1 piece of hand baggage.


Due to security restrictions any medication in liquid or gel form must be carried in containers not holding more than 100ml. If your medication (vital or prescribed) exceeds 100ml, we will ask you to provide a medical certificate in order to help you to get through security. Further information on hand baggage allowance can be found here.



If you need to carry a large quantity of medicines on board we will need to see a medical certificate or letter from your doctor when you check in.

http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4032/~/medicine-and-medical-equipment

Helen where did you find this? Is this an FAQ or something? This is gold dust - but when I searched their site all I could find was the following in their 'information for disabled passengers' section:

http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/ans...C9ocW5tKjVwbA==#What_about_medical_equipment?

Basically the same as what you quoted but with the essential 'in addition to the allowed 1 piece of hand baggage' REMOVED!!!! Grrr!!!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I'd phone them back and quote their own website


We recommend that all prescribed medicine is carried in hand baggage.

You are permitted to carry vital medical equipment/medication and/or up to 2 pieces of mobility equipment as either hand or hold baggage. This is carried free of charge in addition to your standard baggage allowance.

You will be required to present a medical certification from your doctor to confirm that the medication/equipment is required. The certificate will need to include the details of the medication and their intended use i.e. that you must carry this medication and/or medical equipment to sustain quality of life

Hand baggage

You can carry medicine and medical equipment in the cabin free of charge in addition to the allowed 1 piece of hand baggage.


Due to security restrictions any medication in liquid or gel form must be carried in containers not holding more than 100ml. If your medication (vital or prescribed) exceeds 100ml, we will ask you to provide a medical certificate in order to help you to get through security. Further information on hand baggage allowance can be found here.



If you need to carry a large quantity of medicines on board we will need to see a medical certificate or letter from your doctor when you check in.

http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4032/~/medicine-and-medical-equipment

That looks like just the job Helen. Hope you manage to make it through the 'No' brigade Dory - someone probably just asked their supervisor/manager who didn't know and made it up on the spot 🙄

 

[Dory]

Delb - I think I may email them as I don't trust the customer service staff to know what on earth they're talking about.

I have drafted this as a query:

'I phoned your customer services on 30/4/13 to query allowance for my medical supplies. I am a Type 1 diabetic and thus have to carry all my kit with my in my hand luggage. This kit includes (but is not limited to):
my insulin pump (worn on my person)
my blood glucose testing meter
2 pots of test strips + 1 extra as a backup
finger pricking device
6 x cannula sets
backup batteries for both my pump and my meter
a backup testing meter
a backup finger pricking device
16 x glucophage tablets + extra as backup
16 x levothyroxine (enough for my trip + extra as backup)
8 x ramipril tablets + extra as backup)
3 x pre-prepared vials of insulin for my pump
1 x glass vial + 1 empty cartridge to make up a vial of insulin (should the pre-prepared vials be unusable)
a backup insulin pen
needles for the backup pen
pre-prepared insulin vials for the backup pen

I was advised to contact your customer services team by a fellow Type 1 diabetic as they believed I may be allowed an extra piece of hand luggage (to carry the above medication). I am not taking any hold luggage, therefore all my luggage for my 8 day trip (ie clothes, shoes, toiletries, electronic devices, passport, money, etc) is to go into my hand luggage.

I was told by your customer services advisor that I would not be permitted an extra piece of hand luggage and that all the above medication would have to fit in my hand luggage. This is

a)discriminatory, as you are either giving someone with diabetes less (hand) luggage space for non life-essential luggage or forcing them to pay extra for hold luggage due to theri disability, both situations which would not be faced by other non-disabled people who don't have to carry the multitude of medical equipment listed above
b)contrary to your own prior actions - I have spoken to other type 1 diabetics, one of whom has confirmed that as recently as easter, they travelled to Bugaria with yoursevles and on writing to your customer services with the same query, were allowed one extra piece of hand luggage at no extra cost.

I would suggest therefore that you reconsider your decision to not allow me to carry an extra piece of hand luggage in order to carry my medical equipment. If you are still inclined to refuse this, I would ask for your response as to why, and whether you agree that your actions are discriminatory both in the sense of a)treating me differently to a non-disabled person and b)other Type 1 diabetics who have been permitted one extra piece of hand luggage for medical reasons.

I await your response.'

but am interesed in what Helen has to say about where she found that extract; if that's current and on their site now, then I'll be including that too!

 

[Dory]

yeah Mike I definitely think that's what happened.

I'm just concerned that what Helen's found may be an old extract and they've changed their policy/wording since - eager to find out when Helen found that bit of advice!

 

[Copepod]

Also, remember you can get a lot of kit in pockets, especially if you wear cargo trousers, shirts with breast pockets etc. I've never needed to ask for extra hand luggage allowance, in many years of budget airline flights, some without hold luggage, throughout UK, Ireland, mainland Europe, including easyJet, Ryanair & Iceland Express. Admittedly all on MDI, not with an insulin pump.

 

[Redkite]

Hi Helen,

That sounds better! I'll remember that for next time. I have a feeling that last time I flew Easyjet out of Luton it might have been the airport not the airline that had a one-piece-of-hand-luggage rule. But this was back in 2008!

 

[Dory]

ooooh I've just done a search and the same advice (ie that which Helen forwarded) comes up...so expect sparks to fly Easyjet!

THANK YOU Helen and Delb t!!!!!! 🙂

 

[Dory]

Right, query to be sent as below:

'I phoned your customer services on 30/4/13 to query allowance for my medical supplies. I am a Type 1 diabetic and thus have to carry all my kit with my in my hand luggage. This kit includes (but is not limited to):
my insulin pump (worn on my person)
my blood glucose testing meter
2 pots of test strips + 1 extra as a backup
finger pricking device
6 x cannula sets
backup batteries for both my pump and my meter
a backup testing meter
a backup finger pricking device
16 x glucophage tablets + extra as backup
16 x levothyroxine (enough for my trip + extra as backup)
8 x ramipril tablets + extra as backup)
3 x pre-prepared vials of insulin for my pump
1 x glass vial + 1 empty cartridge to make up a vial of insulin (should the pre-prepared vials be unusable)
a backup insulin pen
needles for the backup pen
pre-prepared insulin vials for the backup pen

I was advised to contact your customer services team by a fellow Type 1 diabetic as they believed I may be allowed an extra piece of hand luggage (to carry the above medication). I am not taking any hold luggage, therefore all my luggage for my 8 day trip (ie clothes, shoes, toiletries, electronic devices, passport, money, etc) is to go into my hand luggage.

I was told by your customer services advisor that I would not be permitted an extra piece of hand luggage and that all the above medication would have to fit in my hand luggage. This is

a)discriminatory, as you are either giving someone with diabetes less (hand) luggage space for non life-essential luggage or forcing them to pay extra for hold luggage due to theri disability, both situations which would not be faced by other non-disabled people who don't have to carry the multitude of medical equipment listed above
b)contrary to your own prior actions - I have spoken to other type 1 diabetics, one of whom has confirmed that as recently as easter, they travelled to Bugaria with yoursevles and on writing to your customer services with the same query, were allowed one extra piece of hand luggage at no extra cost
c)contrary to your own current policy: http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4032/kw/medicine which clearly states 'You can carry medicine and medical equipment in the cabin free of charge in addition to the allowed 1 piece of hand baggage.'

I would therefore appreciate your confirmation that I am permitted to carry my medical equipment in a piece of hand baggage separate to my 1 permitted piece of hand luggage. I would also like some response as to what you are doing to increase the capability of your own customer advisors, who clearly are not even aware of their own company's policies.

I await your response.'

Copepod - yes I see where you're coming from - but no way i'd be able to get all the meds i need in pockets etc

will let you all know how I get on......

 

[delb t]

Not bringing the kitchen sink Dory?

 

[Dory]

don't.......i have been known in the past to take 8 pairs of shoes on a 6 day holiday!!! 😉

 

[HelenM]

I notice you've got there. Interesting on the search they give the update date 11/04/2013 so definitely not out of date

 

[delb t]

get a customs letter from your team too-weve always got one - never had to show it though- there always too busy frisking OH - resurfaced hips always sets the scanners off!!!

 

[Dory]

Delbt - yep, got one but like you say, never needed to show it. Might need to now if I'm walking through with 2 bits of hand luggage.

Helen - yeah it seems they've got it on one part of their site, but not the part they advertise as being the section to look at for customers with disabilities etc. very sly of them......

 

[Lauras87]

That's bad dory!

When I went to New York & oz I took a rucksack with my meds in as well as my hand bag (I did have frio bags in there tho)

For Europe I split it into my hand luggage & give half to mum to carry.

I hope they respond in a positive response

 

[Dory]

Thanks Laura 🙂