Airline Faces Furious Public Backlash After Flight Attendant Tragically Dies When She Was Refused Medical Help
- A Taiwanese flight attendant has tragically died after falling seriously ill mid-flight. EVA Air has launched an urgent inquiry over reports the crew member was refused medical help and ordered to continue working.
One of Taiwan’s largest airlines is facing a major public backlash after a young and well-liked flight attendant tragically died after falling seriously ill on a long-haul flight, amidst claims that the cabin manager forced the crew member to continue working even as her condition worsened and refused to call for medical help.
Taipei-based EVA Air says it has launched an urgent internal probe into the allegations, while Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor is also investigating a possible charge of management negligence against the airline.
If labor officials find EVA Air was negligent, it could face huge fines over the death of the flight attendant.
The incident occurred on September 25 aboard EVA Air flight BR-95 from Milan, Italy, to Taipei. According to local media reports, the flight attendant had been ill during the outbound flight to Italy, but her condition progressively worsened on the return flight.
The cabin manager, however, allegedly ordered the flight attendant to continue working for the duration of the 13-hour flight and refused to contact a ground-based support line known as Medlink, which provides professional medical advice to airlines.
One report on social media claims the cabin manager even refused a request to have a medic meet the aircraft on arrival, and the flight attendant had to make her own way out of the airport despite being seriously ill at this point.
The flight attendant was eventually taken to the hospital, but by this point, it was too late, and she later died.
In a statement, EVA Air said it is “deeply saddened” by the incident, but an anonymous post from a fellow crew member has blasted the carrier, saying what happened wasn’t “some regrettable coincidence, but the result of systemic and long-term indifference to crew members’ health.”
The Taoyuan Flight Attendant Union, which represents crew members at EVA Air, has now waded into the controversy, demanding that the airline quickly improve its sick leave policy, which, it claims, encourages crew members to go to work even when they are sick.
“Although EVA Air has stressed that they do not want flight attendants to work while sick, the design of the flight attendant leave system is strict,” a statement from the union explained.
When flight attendants report sick, they can have their entire schedule altered. Taking sick leave can also affect a crew member’s annual performance review and bonus, which further discourages flight attendants from calling in sick.
The union says that flight attendants are more susceptible to sickness due to the long, anti-social hours they work, as well as being in a pressurized cabin at high altitudes for long periods.
The statement added that the union “sincerely hopes that EVA Air and company executives will have more empathy for flight attendants’ illness, and can replace punishment with encouragement in the management of attendance.”
Matt’s Take – Sick leave policies are a major issue at many airlines
It’s no secret that sick leave policies at many airlines around the world are a major bone of contention for flight attendants who often feel like managers don’t appreciate that the nature of their job makes them more susceptible to falling ill.
It’s not just the fact that flight attendants are invariably going to fall sick, but that, unlike some jobs, crew members are expected to be in optimum health when on duty… alert and able to respond should an emergency occur.
Airlines expect flight attendants to be fit and well-rested before reporting for work, but then seemingly punish them should they fall sick through no fault of their own.
