Should I fly? Need advice..
 

Hi guys,

I am cabin crew and have been off ill yesterday and today with a cold. I thought it would make me feel better having a 'duvet' day but I am starting to lose my voice and my ears now feel like they are getting blocked and infected. Obviously as it's a saturday I can't go to the doctors but I am due to fly again tomorrow.

Do you think I should fly or play safe and stay off again?

Can I call in sick for a third day without a doctors note and go to the doctors first thing monday?

Any advice is appreciated... thank you!!

I am not sure what your airlines procedures are re sickness etc, however I can gaurantee you that they wont say "Hey XXX, thanks so much for risking your ear drums by coming to work yesterday, we really appreciated it". If you genuinely know you have gone downhill today, and are having trouble unblocking your ears, think how you will feel tomorrow at 40,000ft with a cabin full of hungry punters enroute to god knows where - you will wish you had called in sick.

Your health is priceless - based purely on what you have described, I personally wouldn't be risking it.

Good luck and get better! :)

PS Is there not any 24 hour doctors clinics you can get to?

If it was me, id call in, and explain.... with it being a Saturday you'll no doubt get the 'yeh, yeh, where are you off to this evening then?' But thats to be expected...

If you turn up sick, try and hide it, and infect others on board, you'll be called in to the bosses office for sure.... Easier to put up with the phone banter, go to the docs on Monday morning and send them a late sick chit.

I always think... Not that im ever sick (unfortunately) but its not just you at risk if you turn up to fly with a cold/flu.

Don't even dream of it! With a cold like that, you will experience great eardrum pain, possibly even splitting your drum, and then you'd be off work for months. You can't get a note now- I think employers nowadays self certify sickness for 7 days? I don't think it is 3 days anymore. Stay home, keep warm, watch daytime TV. Nobody else wants to fly with you when you have a belter like that!

Speaking as one of the ENEMY" (crewing), then I have just about sussed out when crew are pulling a sickie and when they're genuine.
If it's your ears, then don't even consider working, unless you want weeks off after you damage yr eardrum.
And with a cold, then spreading it about amongst yr colleagues in the air and in the crewroom will mean more work for crewing and more disruption to yr workmates rostas.
Get back to bed !! And thats an order from crewing ! :)

I know someone who worked as cabin crew for Flybe when it was still Jersey European.
She flew with a very bad cold and her eardrum was damaged during the flight. She had to change careers.
Put yourself first and ring in sick until you're better.