The Beijing News (Reporter Zhang Xiting and intern Zhou Siya) On October 13, a patient with depression was denied the opportunity to take the opportunity for "exciting mental illness."
On the afternoon of the 14th, a customer service officer of Spring Airlines involved said that the company is investigating the incident.
Depressed patient was interrogated due to shaking hands and was denied boarding due to "emotional"
At 15:00 on October 13, Yu Hai (pseudonym) and his girlfriend Bi Min (pseudonym) were preparing to take a Spring Airlines flight from Weihai, Shandong to Nanjing.
After going through the security check, because Bi Min showed persistent trembling of his hands, Yu Hai was called to the boarding gate by an employee of Spring Airlines to ask about the situation.
Boarding pass information for the flight.
Interviewee provides
Yu Hai told the staff that his girlfriend suffers from depression and his trembling hands are a side effect of taking medication. His condition has basically recovered and he only needs to go to the hospital for review. In recent months, his girlfriend has taken flights many times without any problems.
After that, the above-mentioned staff called Bi Min to the boarding gate for inquiries, and asked him to provide a medical certificate proving that he was suffering from depression, as well as proof that he had taken a flight in recent months.
However, after providing the proof, the staff stated that they still could not guarantee that they could board the plane and needed to report the situation to the company.
Yu Hai said that in the process of questioning, the staff used "how to prove that I was depressed" and "why was depressed" to Bi Min many times. As the boarding time was approaching, Bi Min began to speak irritably and cry.
The staff reported to the crew that the passenger had a mental illness and was emotional.
Then the crew verbally informed him that he could not board the plane on the grounds that the passenger was emotionally affected by a mental illness.
Yu Hai said that this trip to Nanjing was to do a review of depression for his girlfriend. He has made an appointment for the "Depression Special Disease" specialist clinic of Nanjing Brain Hospital at 8 am on the 14th. Because he was denied boarding, he could only take the high-speed rail overnight to Nanjing. He arrived at the hospital at about 11 o'clock this morning after several high-speed rail transfers.
The patient’s prescription was given at the hospital today.
Interviewee provides
At about 17:00 on the 14th, a customer service officer of Spring Airlines told the Beijing News that the company is investigating the above incident, and the specific situation has to wait for the follow-up investigation results.
Another customer service staff said that depression is a mental illness. If the patient needs to take the company's flight, the attending doctor needs to issue a flight certificate, and the airline decides whether to take the flight.
Psychologist: Patients with depression can take an airplane during stable period
According to Article 34 of the "China Civil Aviation Passengers and Baggage Domestic Transportation Rules" issued by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, Article 34 states: "Patients with infectious diseases, mental illnesses, or passengers whose health conditions may endanger themselves or affect the safety of other passengers, the carrier will not accept carriage. ."
The customer service staff of Eastern Airlines and Air China both told reporters of the Beijing News that the company has no special regulations for patients with depression.
The customer service staff of China Southern Airlines stated that patients with depression only need to ask their doctors if they can travel by plane, and the airline will not restrict it.
Liu Chen, director of the Department of Clinical Psychology of Hubei Yichang Mental Health Center, said, “Depression is included in nearly 400 mental illnesses and belongs to the category of mental illness.” He believes that patients in stable phase go to the hospital to issue a certificate of stable illness and take an airplane. No problem.
However, he does not recommend that patients with depression during the onset of illness take flights. “Usually they will not cause harm to others, but symptoms such as depression and breathing difficulties may occur in confined spaces.
Jiang Changqing, the chief psychologist of Beijing Anding Hospital, told the Beijing News that if a depressed patient has clinically normal social function after receiving treatment, it can be judged to be in a stable period of depression.
During this stable period, patients can take flights as usual.
Professor of Aviation Law: The captain has the right to make a decision to deny passengers boarding
Diao Weimin, a professor of aviation law and an arbitrator of the Hainan International Arbitration Court, said that there are currently no clear rules stipulating whether patients with depression can take the flight. This power is left to the flight captain to judge based on various factors.
The captain usually strictly excludes factors that pose a threat to safety from the scope of the flight. “If the passenger’s mood fluctuates significantly at the scene, the captain has the right to make a decision to deny the passenger boarding.”
Diao Weimin also mentioned that in the future amendments to the aviation law, it should be clear what kind of mentally ill patients can take the flight, "this can protect the mentally ill from the influence of the flight, but also does not affect the safety of the flight and other passengers."