IMDonehere

Thanks AZ, you are in a select minority who thinks my posts are funny.

IMDonehere

AZ-It is the ultimate compliment that you accuse me of manslaughter. Thank you.

KTtravel

Here are Grand Circle's policies: http://www.gct.com/about/terms-and-conditions.

Medical confidentiality is a tricky issue and patients have rights to privacy. If your mother did not request you be contacted, this could be part of the issue as it sounds like she was alert.

Nonconformist

I'm surprised those policies include them saying they can't accept service animals. I thought all countries required them to be accommodated.

Gordon_R

>>I am asked for a contact "other than a person traveling for you" for every overseas air flight I make. How do you think airlines notify families in case of crashes? ESP?<<

Well, I've never come across this either - and I've been doing on avarage about 20-30 flights a year for the past 25 years all over the world. I have never once been asked for this info either on booking tickets, checking in, or stored in my frequent flyer profiles (I'm in at least 5 different ones).

In the event of a crash, it's factually incorrect to suggest that the airlines have a list of passenger next of kin to work with at the outset - that's assembled mainly through friends/relatives phoning the emergency helpline number plus the work of police / civil authorities in the country of origin of the passengers.

janisj

some of my ff my profiles do ask for a contact person/#, but it has ALWAYS been optional. It is not a requirement to book tix.

bvlenci

I think a lot of you have been asked by airlines about next of kin (or a contact number) and just don't remember. I believe it's required in the US to ask, although it's not required to provide the information. As I remember it, the question is something like, "Would you like to provide an emergency contact number?"?

bvlenci

With a little googling, I found this information on an American Airlines site. As I thought, they're required to ask, but you are not obliged to provide a contact.

http://www.aa.com/i18n/agency/Bookin...rg_contact.jsp

I also found the similar regulation that applies in the EU:

http://www.bmiregional.com/en/top-me...tion-documents

eastave

Didn't some airlines ask for this information to be filled out on the part of the boarding pass they keep? It has been awhile since we have flown internationally out of the US, so I could be remembering wrong.

anyegr

Ok. I googled the EU regulation mentioned by bvlenci. It actually does say that "airlines shall offer travellers the opportunity to give the name and contact details of a person to be contacted in the event of an accident".

I still haven't ever been asked about it by either Ryanair or Norwegian. So, are they breaking the law or is the "offer" hidden somewhere on their website? I don't have time to go searching.

NeoPatrick

Anyegr,, I'd interpret that phrase "shall offer the opportunity" as just that and I can't imagine any airline has denied anyone he opportunity to provide one if they wish. You seem to be interpreting "shall offer" as "must require", but there's a world of difference.

anyegr

NeoPatrick: You're probably right.

Nywoman

Thank you OP if not for the heading I would not have read this thread, which by the way has been most
interesting . Have only recently returned to the European forum and some characters never disappear or change.
For whatever it is worth Delta requested my emergency information
which I gladly supplied before I left on my recent trip.

What has been the most useful bit of advice was to have emergency information easily available. I am traveling on my own and have for years and never thought of that. Now my contact names and information is clearly listed on my itinerary which is on the outside of my travel folder.

I do have travel insurance with DAN card in my wallet, here I will add emergency contacts as well.

IMDonehere

I used to head up a unit that drafted insurance policies and we always used the word shall as in require. The weasel words are "offer the opportunity". Thus the airline must offer the opportunity, but does not require the traveler to provide the information.

If the phrase read the "traveler shall provide information as to whom to contact in case of an emergency", the onus would have been on the airline to require it and the traveler to provide it.

NeoPatrick

Exactly. They MUST offer people to do so if they wish, but in no way is there a requirement to do so.