Commercial airline complications

With over 30 years of experience in the commercial medical escort industry, Flying Nurses International (FNI) is a pioneer and leader in innovative solutions to difficult patient transport.

Our unparalleled professionalism, compassion and care has garnered FNI a stellar reputation. We travel within the US and abroad, having transported to and from well over 100 countries. We are a very cost-effective alternative to air ambulance services for those patients that do not require a high-acuity level of care. We are one of the only commercial transport companies that will transport vent patients. Our RN flight nurses are known for their gracious, culturally sensitive and caring attitudes towards patients and their families, making travel with FNI a safe choice.

Our RN flight nurses are known for their gracious, culturally sensitive and caring attitudes towards patients and their families

The patient

A recent case presented to us by a Texas based hospital involved returning an unfortunate 37-year-old male patient to Pohnpei, Micronesia. The gentleman had a history of cerebellar meningioma (a tumour of the brain membranes) that had been operated on twice; he suffered from an obstruction in the spinal fluid flow, requiring a shunt to be placed; he had paralysis on his left side; and had several other medical issues, including bedsores from his lengthy hospitalisations.

He was unable to care for himself any longer and had no-one in the US to assist. He was moved to several different facilities over many months. The hospital contacted FNI to assist in returning him to his home country of Micronesia. Unfortunately, he had no form of identification as it was lost during his many facility moves. Flying Nurses worked with the hospital and the Embassy of Micronesia to obtain his birth certificate and an official letter endorsing his return to Pohnpei.

The mission

Due to the distance and itinerary, this normally would require a two-nurse team. However, the cost would have been burdensome to the hospital for two nurses to travel for the entire journey. With some innovation and a skilled two-nurse team, we were able to start in Texas and travel to Hawaii with one nurse accompanying the patient. On arrival in Hawaii, the patient was taken to a hotel to rest and the second Hawaii-based nurse took over care and travelled with him the following day to complete the trip.

The journey

On the day of travel from Hawaii to Pohnpei, they were met with a challenge as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents would not allow them to enter the secure zone, stating that he did not have “proper paperwork” and was “red flagged” as a security risk. This risk meant a potential arrest. The nurse explained that if they arrested him, he would no longer be in our care and would be the responsibility of the TSA authorities. His birth certificate and embassy letter, along with an identification affidavit from the hospital, were presented. Ultimately our nurse was able to persuade TSA to allow them to continue on their journey to return this gentleman home to his family in Pohnpei.

This is just one example of many cases over the years that highlights the challenges of transporting patients via commercial airlines. However, Flying Nurses’ ingenuity and ability to think outside the box and produce creative solutions to assist all types of patients makes us a leader in our field, and our 100% safety record speaks for itself.