A friend of mine recently broke his arm, but he is flying to Spain soon. Naturally he wonders if he can fly with a broken bone, so can you, or can’t you?
As a general rule, most airlines say you can’t fly with a broken bone after 24 hours of breaking or fracturing the bone if the flight is under 2 hours.
However, most airlines tend to say that you can’t fly with a break/fracture after 48 hours if the flight is over 2 hours.
Naturally, this may vary from airline to airline, so it is generally advised that you check with the airline you’re flying on, however, most major airlines operate the above guidelines.
Why can’t you fly with a broken bone?
These rules are set in place due to worries about swelling and thus, circulation problems of the limbs in the cast.
Airlines are concerned that because your body will and does swell during flight (which is a common phenomenon that happens to us during flight, and is perfectly natural).
As such, airlines worry that the swelling may affect the cast, and cause mild to severe pain to passengers, including things like Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), tissue damage and circulation issues.
The latter circulation issues are a big thing, as the cast may inadvertently cut the circulation of whatever limb it is, because of the before-stated swelling.
There is also a worry from airlines that a cast that has not yet had enough time to set properly may split or crack during the flight, which would cause immense pain during the flight!
Airlines are usually reluctant, if not completely opposed to diverting or turning around the entire aircraft, just because of one passenger’s broken bone.
Please do remember: it’s the airline’s aircraft, they have the right to stop you from flying on their aircraft if they deem you not to be fit for flight.
Exceptions to this rule
- If both your legs are in plaster, most airlines will refuse your entry to the flight, this is due to mobility issues in case of emergency as well as other logistic nightmares!
- Severe spinal injury, whilst airlines take this on a case-by-case basis, it’s likely that they will prevent you from boarding the aircraft, this is due to similar concerns over mobility!
- Military aviation, this goes without saying! The military often do everything on their own system, this includes flying with a broken bone or not!
What to do if you do find yourself in this situation
Sadly, you may one day find yourself in this situation, or perhaps you are already in this situation!
It is probably a good idea to know what you should do if you try to fly with a broken bone.
Get medically certified
Most people assume that they can just rock up to any airport with a cast, and the airline will be fine with it.
Often, they will ask for a medical certificate from a doctor to prove that you are fit to fly, and detailing the details of the injury (where it happened, what happened etc.)
Most importantly, the airline will need to know (from the doctor) when the cast was put on.
If this latter part is not carried out, the airline will either ask you to remove the cast, get a certificate or stop you from boarding the aircraft.
It is generally recommended that if you intend to fly with a broken bone, that you discuss it with the doctor when you are having the plaster set.
Most doctors will be more than happy to provide a certificate and advise you on what you will need to do when you arrive at the airport!
The airline
One of the things most people tend to forget when they try to fly with a broken bone, is assuming the airline will be ok with it.
If possible, try to warn them in advance so that they can help you.
If you have a broken leg, the airline may be able to accommodate you with a free wheelchair, both around the airport, and meeting you there.
If you have a broken arm, they may be able to get you that free upgrade, or change your seat to somewhere, where you can get optimal room, so that your arm is fully protected.
And it’s probably a good idea to make sure that the airline is happy to let you fly in the first place. After all, there’s no point being in the airport, lining up in the long airport queues, if the airline is simply going to refuse!
Buy extra legroom
If you’ve contacted the airline, and they are happy to let you fly, however have declined to give you a free upgrade, you may want to consider buying some extra legroom.
Whether this is splurging out on an upgrade, or purchasing the seats either side of you, you may wish to consider this as a possibility.
Depending on the type of break/fracture and whether it’s on the upper or lower part of your body, the airline may force you to purchase extra seats.
(This is usually done for breaks/fractures of anything below the waist, as it’s a requirement that the leg is placed out on the seat next to the passenger, if they wish to fly with a broken bone!)
Your cast
You will need to check with your airline and your doctor, the status of your cast.
Depending on the type of injury and where it is located, the airline may refuse to allow you to fly with the cast on.
As such, you will have two options: split the cast (and have it reset when you get there) or not go in its entirety.
If you choose the first option, you will have to have it signed off by a doctor in your country, not to mention sorting it out when you get to your destination!
Insurance
If you have the intention to fly with a broken bone, it’s generally recommended that you get insurance that covers everything.
This means that you can’t just buy standard travel insurance, and you will need to buy travel insurance with broken bone-related clauses in it.
This means that you will probably want to buy better medical insurance so that you don’t injure yourself and it cost a fortune!
You will probably also want to buy insurance that covers things like being cancelled on and the airline refusing to let you fly with them as a result of you trying to fly with a broken arm!
Have you ever tried to fly with a broken bone? Was it worth it? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Caribb via Flickr