Debunking the Myth: Airborn Births Fly For Free?

by Justin Glow on

Perhaps you’ve heard the rumor: if a baby is born in-flight, free air travel for life is awarded to the kid by the airline. This is the reason, the myth goes, behind the restrictions airlines place on expectant mothers. So is it true?

Truth be told, I had never heard the rumor before coming across the Snopes.com article trying to get to the bottom of it. It turns out that the myth is just that; the researches at Snopes contacted various heavy-hitters in the airline industry to see what their policy was on letting pregnant women fly. Some didn’t care, some required notes from doctors, and some required the pregnant passenger to be accompanied by a qualified medical attendant. None of them had a policy in place to award mothers for giving birth while flying.

There is a hint of truth to the myth, however — since 1995 at least three babies (and likely a few more) have been born in-flight. On September 6, 1995, a lady prematurely gave birth on Thai Airway’s flight 641, and the airline awarded the child “special flying privileges,” and an educational scholarship. On May 23, 1996 — just 13 days after Asia Pacific Airlines went into operation — another child was born in the sky and here too the child was awarded a scholarship and free travel for life. More recently, an Egyptian woman traveling from London to Boston in September of 2006 went into premature labor on British Airways flight 215. Luckily for her, there was a doctor and retired midwife on board. No word on whether BA awarded the mother and child anything, however.

Coming up soon: what citizenship is awarded to a child who is born while flying?

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of March 18

by Adrienne Wilson on

What a week here this week! We had the chance to experience deja-vu or something like it with the announcement of another New Year’s being celebrated. I finally had the chance to sit down and provide you with some of the details from my island adventure in St. Lucia and we found out about more explosive destinations and food than one could ever possibly handle from Iva, but now I turn your attention to these five picks selected to help you on your journey – one way or another.

5. Make Your Own Guidebook:
Neil brings up a fine point on guidebooks – most of the time we don’t need but a handful of information from them, yet we’re stuck paying $25 bucks if not more to help us navigate the land of the unknown. Now there is a way to create your own guidebook for $5 from the folks at DK guides. If you act fast you can make one now and get it for free.

4. Build a $25, 10-Day Survival Kit For Your Car:
Breaking down is the last thing anyone wants to think about on a long road trip across the state or the beautiful land of America, but should it happen you’ll want to be prepared. Learn how to stay alive for at least ten days by building a survival kit.

3. Man Uses Air Sickness Bag as Mini-Urinal:
File this one under: Random. Dave Luna brings interesting and slightly stomach turning news about a gentleman who could no longer hold his bladder in flight and took matters into his own hands and air sickness bag because the lavatory could not be used in flight. You wonder the outcome of such an awkward public display and use of an air sickness bag? You’ll have to read further.

2. 5 Destinations for Learning the Flying Trapeze:
Looking for something new to try on your trips out and about? Tired of the endless number of cooking courses and yoga classes offered at every destination? Why not try your hand at learning the flying trapeze man!

1. World’s 10 Most Magnificent Trees:
Spring is here and who doesn’t want to get out of their home and go hug a tree? In this short blurb we discover 10 of the world’s greatest giants and odd-shaped beauties in nature.

Airports Want to Charge You More to Fly

by Jonathon Morgan on

It may cost even more to fly this summer, thanks to our nation’s airports. As they try to fun new runways, terminal expansions, and other improvements, airports across the U.S. are pushing for higher boarding fees.

Specifically, they want to raise the “Passenger Facility Charge,” a fee that’s been automatically added to the cost of your ticket since 1992. At that time, it was $3 per ticket. The fee rose to a new high of $4.50 in 2001, but now the Federal Aviation Administration wants to raise the fee to $6, while the airports want it raised higher still — to $7.50.

The hike doesn’t sound like much, but amidst rising fuel costs, flying is becoming more expensive across the board. This worries passengers like Carlisha Colbert, a university student interviewed for the story by USA Today who said, “Tickets are already expensive. … I don’t think they should be increasing the price.”

But will the rising costs keep people from flying? Only time will tell.

Crazy Luggage Tags

by Neil Woodburn on

Spotting your black suitcase amongst the hundreds of similar looking ones on the luggage carousal is always a big pain after getting off a long flight.

TagsForBags.com would like to make it easier. The company manufactures personalized luggage tags that are brightly colored and can be spotted from half way across the airport. Travelers can opt to have their names printed on the 7-inch tags, or choose from an assortment of “tude tags” bearing such warnings as, DON’T EVEN, NOT YOURS, BACK OFF, WRONG ONE, and HANZZOFF.

Cost: $10 each

Dying Mid-flight. First Class or a Storage Bin?

by Jamie Rhein on

I was at potluck tonight of Central Ohio Returned Peace Corps volunteers (CORVA) when someone mentioned the person who died on the British Airways flight last week. The dead woman, as described in the post by gadling blogger Jonathon Morgan, was strapped into a first class seat for the rest of the journey from India to Great Britain. Another first class passenger woke up to find the elderly dead woman sliding out of the seatbelt to the floor next to him and the serenity of his expensive seat being disrupted by the wails of her grieving daughter. This passenger, according to my friends, has decided to sue the airlines.

After Jonathon’s post on March 19, there have been other accounts and blogs written. Evidently, a person dying on a flight is not that uncommon. It’s never happened on one of the flights I’ve been on that I’ve been aware of, but some airlines have contingency plans if someone does expire after take-off.

According to an article I came across, on average, 10 people a year die on British Airways flights. On Virgin Atlantic, there were 2 in the past twelve months. Supposedly, on its 17 hour flights, Singapore Airlines’ planes have a special cupboard for a dead person if need be.

On some airlines, an overhead bin might be used. It depends on the circumstances, the airlines, and I suppose, how much carry-on luggage is already stored. If someone dies in flight, it’s not so easy to turn the plane around. A person who takes off alive, and returns to the departure point dead, generates a mountain of paperwork. Also, people who are still alive might like to get where they were planning on going in a timely manner. Forging ahead is often the best solution.