Virgin Atlantic said sick passengers could be banned from flying unless they had a medical certificate giving them the go-ahead to travel. And British Airways said there had been 'a very small number of cases' where passengers with flu-like symptoms were told not to travel.The tough measures come at the height of the holiday rush when hundreds of thousands of Britons are preparing to go abroad. If the rules are adopted by other airlines, they could bring chaos to airports over the summer.
A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said: 'If there are signs of something being wrong, be it excessive sneezing or coughing, not looking well, high temperature, then the airport staff can call in a medical team for extra advice.
'If the medical team believe there are reasons not to fly, the passenger will be asked to produce a fit to fly certificate from their doctor or a hospital, and they will be put at our cost on to the next available flight.'
He added: 'Why would someone with swine flu be travelling? They wouldn't have the energy.'
British Airways said it had given check-in staff and cabin crew guidance on what to do if a passenger shows symptoms of flu.
'If we have concerns about a customer or the customer is concerned, then we have a 24-hour medical service we can call to give advice to staff,' a spokesman said. (Daily Mail)
