Flying While Pregnant

[yakyak]

any one know if and at what stage in the duration is it recomended that a pregnant woman should cease to travel by air?..................thanks in advance

[leisurely]

I think most airlines have their own rules, but I think it is usually around 34 weeks. When I was pregnant with our youngest the obstetrician told me that unless it was life and death I should not fly at all.

I am almost certain that they require a medical cert. of fitness to fly too or at least a confirmation of how far along in the pregnancy you are. No airline wants a baby born in the middle of the flight!

[sbk]

And a release that if something goes wrong the airline isn't liable.

[Boo]

anythinhg after 6mths is considered unsafe but she should always get a sign off from the midwife or doctor as depending on if there were complications during the whole pregnancy then most docs advise against it if it can be helped.

If the pregnancy is complication free then a quick check with a doctor & advise to the airline & insurance company then most will allow a women to fly before 6mnths.

I flew to & from LOS at 3 months & it was very uncomfortable & tiring

[schmitonian]

My wife is currently at 24 weeks, and we are off on holidays end of this week. All airlines have different policies, but generally medical certificates are required after about 28 weeks, and the no fly period starts at 34-35 weeks unless accompanyied by doctor or qualified nurse. Other factors such as medical complications or multiple foetuses bring forward these dates.

Whilst not essentially, I had our doctor write a letter to prove my wive was only at 24 weeks (she is a small lady, and she already looks huge). He also pointed out that most airlines have their own form which needs to be completed and paperwork delivered to HQ, the departure airport, and the plane's captain, so we got that filled out too. Ask your travel agent to provide this form and lodge it - they have much more contact with the airline reservation offices than most of us do. When I tried to get this form directly from airline staff at their home airport (Gulf Air in Bahrain), they just looked at me with blank expressions and said the doctors letter was enough and no need to supply their "medical passenger" form. For the budget internet airlines, often you are required to call it in at the time of booking.

Note that the letters are only valid for set time periods, depending on airlines. For some, it is 1 week, others 1 month! And you are also required hand paperwork in advance to be processed - for Gulf it is 3 days to get back to Bahrain and approved, again, airline dependent.

Currently trying to decide with the missus if she wants to come back with me and fly back to Thailand 6 weeks later to have the baby, or if I just drop her off in Thailand on the way back to work and leave it at that.

[kojac_phx]

General recommendation from most of the books is 2nd trimester is OK. Before that there are too many possible complications and it's not recommended, though I haven't seen any airlines refuse service since most women aren't showing by then. After that, they're worried about birth while in flight, though there have been no medical studies showing whether flight can trigger birth or not. My wife flew to the US from Thailand when 32 wks pregnant, again not recommended, but with a doctor's note and signing the airline waiver of liability there were no issues. Airline policies differ quite a bit, so I'd check with the specific airline you plan to travel.

[britmaveric]

Check with airlines - if you happen to ignore their policies. If smth happens and plane needs to be diverted, you end up responsible for the cost of said incursion.

[chanchao]

I guess it would also depend on the length of the flight.. Like a 1 hour flight to Phuket or something is not the same as a non-stop long haul Bangkok to New York.

[Godders]

any one know if and at what stage in the duration is it recomended that a pregnant woman should cease to travel by air?..................

When her undercarriage becomes too big to get the wheels down in time to hit the runway first.

[think_too_mut]

any one know if and at what stage in the duration is it recomended that a pregnant woman should cease to travel by air?..................thanks in advance

7 months+