In the age of Ebola, what will happen if you fly while sick?
Most airline passengers have seen it happen, and some might have done it themselves - flying on an airplane while sick.
The recent Ebola outbreak has brought attention to the problem of sick people traveling on airplanes. Earlier this week, two passengers on separate flights from Ebola-stricken Liberia were taken from O'Hare to Chicago hospitals and put in isolation units after arriving ill (a child's Ebola test was negative; an adult recovered and was not tested for Ebola).
The majority of sick people on airplanes don't have deadly viruses but rather common maladies that cause coughs, fevers and other flu-like symptoms that can easily spread in an airplane's tight quarters. But some of those symptoms are linked to Ebola, too.
With the heightened concerns about Ebola, what will happen if you fly while you or your child are sick? And do you have alternatives to paying high fees to change to a later flight?
The focus on Ebola certainly means increased scrutiny for some passengers. Airports - including O'Hare International - now screen people arriving on certain international flights for fevers and vomiting, hoping to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
The main focus is on passengers who've been in the African countries of Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone in the last 21 days, and that's the first question the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants airline crews to ask if a sick passenger turns up on their flight, according to the recently issued "Ebola Guidelines for Airlines."
A "yes" answer requires an immediate call to the CDC; a "no" means the crew should follow "routine procedures" that include separating a sick person as much as possible, providing plastic trash bags for disposal of airsickness bags and tissues, and giving a surgical mask to someone coughing or sneezing, the guidelines state.
The guidelines also note that airlines can deny boarding for "air travelers with serious contagious diseases that could spread during flight."
A United Airlines spokesman couldn't say whether sick passengers who have not been to one of the three countries where Ebola is a risk are treated any differently than they might have been in the past. But he did point out a United policy that could let sick passengers get partial refunds for "change fees" if they'd rather fly after they recover.
"As always, we're going to do whatever we can to ensure the safety of all passengers," spokesman Charlie Hobart said.
United policies allow for refunds of all but $50 of change fees for passengers who have to reschedule a flight because of illness, but it'll require a letter from your doctor.
Passengers and airlines could do better, says Brandon M. Macsata, executive director of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights.
"In today's technology-based business community, there is no excuse for airlines to levy fees for a changed flight," Macsata said. "The nation's rail system has demonstrated that allowing passengers to change their travel plans doesn't cause systemwide problems. Most passengers might expect to pay a fare differential, but the penalty of the changed flight fee is a true deterrent."
But the trade organization representing most major airline carriers, Airlines for America, notes passengers also have the option to buy third-party insurance to recoup costs of a trip if they become ill and unable to travel.
"The reason cancellation and change fees exist is because air transportation is a service that perishes when the aircraft door is closed. It is in both the passengers' and airline's interest to closely match the number of passengers to seats available," said Vaughn Jennings, Airlines for America's managing director of government and regulatory communications.
• Daily Herald Deputy Managing Editor Diane Dungey contributed to this report.