What Happens If You Have A Medical Emergency Midair On A Plane?

The fear of something going wrong on an airplane derives from a very simple truth: There's nowhere you can go. The brain interprets this as you having little control over the situation. When you give the act of flying a moment's consideration — being flung across the globe at hundreds of miles an hour in a little titanium can — it's no wonder some people are nervous flyers. But you can wrest some of that control back by putting safeguards in place, like traveling with one of the world's safest airlines (according to research), avoiding the use of power banks, which pose a fire risk and have been banned by some popular airlines, and keeping abreast of the Federal Aviation Administration rules for in-flight emergencies.

Having a medical emergency on a flight might be the least of your worries, but these things can — and do — happen. According to research published in the medical journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International in 2012, one in every 10,000 to 40,000 passengers will have a medical emergency in the air. And a 2018 JAMA study estimated that in-flight emergencies occur once in every 604 flights, or in every 24 to 130 passengers per million. 

Common incidents include gastrointestinal conditions, hypertension, stroke, and migraines, while rarer emergencies include childbirth, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and psychiatric episodes. These incidents require varying degrees of medical assistance, but research has indicated that many physicians aren't trained in the nuances of treating patients in a cabin's pressurized atmosphere and are unaware of the availability of medical equipment on planes. This raises an obvious question: What actually happens if an emergency takes place?

To mitigate a worst-case-scenario event, travelers with underlying conditions should consult their doctor to ensure they are fit to fly, and notify airline staff of any potential complications, even if they are minor and the chances of a flare-up are slim. If you're medically trained and someone else requires assistance, there are things you need to be aware of, like what equipment is on board and which entity has jurisdiction over liability for care rendered. When flying internationally, jurisdiction may be based on the country where the aircraft is registered, the country whose airspace the incident occurs in, or the country where the medical professional's license was granted.

This might seem antithetical to the Hippocratic Oath, but many airlines do offer protection to good Samaritans. If flying domestically in the U.S., the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act (AMAA) protects any person who is "licensed, certified, or otherwise qualified to provide medical care in a state" from damages when good-faith medical care is given. In an event where multiple responders present themselves, defer to the one deemed most competent and able to deliver the most efficient care given the circumstances. And you should always travel with your medical license in case duty calls.

Flight attendants are also trained in basic first aid and the use of a defibrillator. They're required to communicate with the pilot and ground-based medical staff who can give step-by-step care instructions. They must also pass aviation medical emergency assessments annually.