Travel Weekly Blog

Here's a worrying story. During a recent flight to Barbados, a friend of mine told the cabin crew of a sudden and severe pain in her leg.

According to my friend, the stewardess looked puzzled and said she'd never heard of that happening before.

Bad answer.

As the aviation industry has been at pains to stress, the risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis is only minimally higher on a flight, and even then it is caused by immobility, not flying per se - a long car journey involves just as much risk.

But it should be obvious that a passenger complaining of severe leg pains could be suffering from, or at least worrying about a DVT, and you would expect cabin crew to respond accordingly. Especially on a big full-fare airline, which this was.

It transpired that my friend had developed a superficial thrombosis, which is less immediately dangerous but still very painful, and carries the risk of complications, including the development of a DVT.

Things did not improve on the ground. She spent virtually the whole trip in doctors' surgeries and on crutches, and said dealings with her package operator (again, a big name) left her feeling like a burden.

When it came to flying home, her requirements hadn't been passed on to the airline, and only bursting into tears (which I'd probably have done much sooner in the trip) secured her a bulkhead seat where her leg could be properly elevated.

I'm not naming companies, because this is all anecdotal. But it is dispiriting to hear that someone has put their money down with trusted brands and ended up with this standard of care.

Nathan Midgley, web producer