Airline's medicine ban leaves passenger in coma: Knowledge Driven Revolution

A diabetic man fell into a coma because airport staff refused to let him take his insulin on board a flight from Auckland to Christchurch.

Qantas yesterday apologised to Tui Peter Russell, who had a severe attack on the plane and was in hospital for two weeks.

Mr Russell said check-in staff at Auckland Airport told him he could not take his medication on board because it was dangerous.

The 43-year-old Glen Innes chef said he had flown many times with Qantas and had never had problems taking his medicine on board.

The medication was clearly labelled, he said.

"They thought I would hurt somebody, but I was only flying to Christchurch, not LA," said Mr Russell.

He started feeling ill during the flight last month and called a flight attendant.

"They asked where the insulin was, and they weren't very happy when they found out I wasn't allowed to bring it on board."

Mr Russell praised cabin crew who tried to keep him conscious and gave him oxygen until they arrived in Christchurch.

But he fell into a coma shortly before the aircraft landed and spent two weeks in Christchurch Hospital.

A Qantas spokeswoman said Mr Russell was "wrongly advised at the check-in desk" to pack his insulin medication in his baggage.

The airline had apologised for the "distress and inconvenience surrounding his travel", she said.

Qantas said passengers were permitted to take any essential medication and prescriptions on board in their hand luggage.

"Mr Russell was wrongly advised at the check-in desk to pack his insulin into his check-in baggage.

"We have taken steps to avoid a repeat occurrence including contacting Air New Zealand, who perform our check-in services in New Zealand," she said.

An Air New Zealand official said Aviation Security had the final say on what was taken on board an aircraft, but passengers with prescription items could take what they needed for their flight, provided they were correctly labelled and named.

Mr Russell said Qantas had offered him a free return flight from Auckland to Christchurch, but he also wanted help from the airline to recover $500 in hospital and medication bills.

The Qantas spokeswoman said the airline was still talking to Mr Russell in an effort to resolve his concerns.

Mr Russell said he wanted to raise the issue for other people who had similar conditions and needed to take medication on aircraft.

"I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through."

Read Today's Knowledge Driven News
HOME Canadians Should Pay NOT to be Poisoned: NDP V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	Airline's medicine ban leaves passenger in coma James Ihaka - New Zealand Herald November 03, 2006 A diabetic man fell into a coma because airport staff refused to let him take his insulin on board a flight from Auckland to Christchurch. Qantas yesterday apologised to Tui Peter Russell, who had a severe attack on the plane and was in hospital for two weeks. Mr Russell said check-in staff at Auckland Airport told him he could not take his medication on board because it was dangerous. The 43-year-old Glen Innes chef said he had flown many times with Qantas and had never had problems taking his medicine on board. The medication was clearly labelled, he said. "They thought I would hurt somebody, but I was only flying to Christchurch, not LA," said Mr Russell. He started feeling ill during the flight last month and called a flight attendant. "They asked where the insulin was, and they weren't very happy when they found out I wasn't allowed to bring it on board." Mr Russell praised cabin crew who tried to keep him conscious and gave him oxygen until they arrived in Christchurch. But he fell into a coma shortly before the aircraft landed and spent two weeks in Christchurch Hospital. A Qantas spokeswoman said Mr Russell was "wrongly advised at the check-in desk" to pack his insulin medication in his baggage. The airline had apologised for the "distress and inconvenience surrounding his travel", she said. Qantas said passengers were permitted to take any essential medication and prescriptions on board in their hand luggage. "Mr Russell was wrongly advised at the check-in desk to pack his insulin into his check-in baggage. "We have taken steps to avoid a repeat occurrence including contacting Air New Zealand, who perform our check-in services in New Zealand," she said. An Air New Zealand official said Aviation Security had the final say on what was taken on board an aircraft, but passengers with prescription items could take what they needed for their flight, provided they were correctly labelled and named. Mr Russell said Qantas had offered him a free return flight from Auckland to Christchurch, but he also wanted help from the airline to recover $500 in hospital and medication bills. The Qantas spokeswoman said the airline was still talking to Mr Russell in an effort to resolve his concerns. Mr Russell said he wanted to raise the issue for other people who had similar conditions and needed to take medication on aircraft. "I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through." Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
		What Is Wrong With Canada ? Recent 9-11 News Suppressed by the Media Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave Knowledge Driven Look at Your Favourite Canadian Political Parties
		August September October 2006 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 Weekly Features 2006 2005 Read Today's Knowledge Driven News
		Counter
Copyright � 2005-6 KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com