Baby Overheats on United Express - 30 minute delay for Ambulance

[RatherBeFlying]

Colorado mom angry at United Airlines after infant overheats (http://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/23/united-airlines-infant-overheats-dia/)

“His whole body flashed red and his eyes rolled back in his head and he was screaming,” France said. “And then he went limp in my arms. It was the worst moment of my life.”

France and other passengers begged for an ambulance. There appeared to be disagreement between the flight crew and the ground crew over whether stairs should be pushed to the aircraft or the airplane should return to the gate, she said.

France said she sobbed as she sat by the open door and waited as Owen drifted in and out consciousness. She estimates they waited 30 minutes before the airplane returned to the gate.

“They seemed completely unprepared for a medical emergency,”

Just wait until a tort lawyer gets his hands on this, especially if there's neurological effects.

[b1lanc]

If there are neurological effects, no amount of money will compensate. At some point criminal negligence will come into play if this continues. And it all starts at the top.

[Basil]

Recollect, in a delayed ad-hoc charter B747 with a black paint scheme and a failed APU, going back along the main deck for a look and assessment. No doubt whatsoever: get them off into air-conditioned coaches asap.

[Piltdown Man]

We are missing some technical information here. If the engines were running I would have thought the packs were running or were they not man enough for the heat? Also, what sort of airport is unable to deal with a sick passenger? Is the true cost of a free-for-all unregulated market? I'm going to guess this aicraft was stuck in a long taxi queue and couldn't return unless the aicraft in the front were moved away and the packs only really work well when airborne. Which means that...

[Nightstop]

I doubt that the engines were running. More likely, the APU was u/s and there was no ground air-conditioning during the extra refuelling. In the EU, NAPLES (Italy) is notorious for this, they require all doors closed before the aircraft is "released". If your APU is u/s, everyone fries while the process commences. Criminal! I've seen an aircraft there evacuate pax onto the Ramp in these circumstances..fortunatley they had Airstairs, most do not.

[Tray Surfer]

She should not be holding the baby if it has had a febrile convulsion, as pictured.

[PAXboy]

On Friday afternoon, my brother and I sat in an ATR42/72 on stand at BHX for an hour. The aircraft was late arriving on stand so had to wait for fuel and then wait for a tug and then a slot. As we were on ground power the air-con was minimal. I thought about the above circumstances and if it had been 30.C as it was ten days before? There were several children on board and the adults were more than warm enough. Plenty of apologies from the flight deck but, waiting for fuel with doors open, on stand, there was no where else to go.

[Piltdown Man]

You always have options. When faced with delay at Rotterdam some years ago we allowed the passengers outside the aircraft. With an APU many aircraft can keep themselves cool and when inop you can get airstart units that are capable of providing bleeed air on a long term basis. And then you have cabin airco units. Yes, these things are expensive, but that is an operational cost that should have been factored in. But what you must not allow is people to sweat to death in a metal tube. So when it gets too hot, you must let your passengers out. Therefore if the cabin can not be cooled by any other method and starting engines is not an option the aircraft is unserviceable.

[PAXboy]

Understood Piltdown Man. I hope that, if those temps return then FlyBe (and others) will allow pax to disembark - even though it will further delay the next rotation.