The child in the window seat was sneezing and coughing. Passengers nearby grew increasingly nervous that perhaps the kid had Covid-19 and was spreading the virus. The mother claimed allergies; flight attendants said there was nothing they could do.
Sick passengers on airplanes have become a deeper concern for travelers during the pandemic, as this scene was for a friend of mine. The controversy around how airlines treat the sick has grown, since they give passengers a big financial incentive to fly while ill.
Most carriers in the U.S., and many others around the world, charge fliers the difference in fare between their discounted advance-purchase ticket and a new ticket to travel after illness recovery. That often means a one-way unrestricted walk-up fare, usually hundreds and even thousands of dollars more, which some fliers can’t afford and none are happy to pay.
“The pandemic has really underscored the need for a sick-passenger rule,” says Charles Leocha, president of Travelers United, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group. “Something needs to be done to give people an affordable alternative.”