Woman deeply shamed over airline pregnancy query

A New Zealand woman has received an apology from Jetstar after an air steward asked her to produce a medical certificate for her pregnancy before she boarded a domestic flight. The trouble is, 21-year-old Kelsey Hughes of Christchurch isn't pregnant and says she was left embarrassed and angry by the incident.

Ms Hughes says she'll never fly on Jetstar again. She says she was deeply shamed when the attendant from the budget Australian airline stopped her as she boarded the plane from Wellington to Christchurch. “He came up behind me, grabbed my arm and said, ‘Excuse me ma'am, do you have your medical certificate to fly?’



And I was like, ‘Medical certificate for what?’ and he goes, 'For your pregnancy – you’re pregnant aren't you?’ My mouth fell on the floor and I go, ‘I’m not pregnant.'” Jetstar policy stipulates that passengers who are 28 weeks pregnant are required to carry a medical certificate declaring them fit to fly. Ms Hughes says that means the flight attendant assumed she was at least seven months pregnant.

“It was just absurd. I was wearing high heels and I had 101 bags in my hand. I wasn't exactly screaming pregnancy. I didn't think so anyway.” A spokesman for Jetstar says it has apologised to Ms Hughes for the incident and her $100 off her next flight with the airline. But Ms Hughes says it is not compensation she's seeking. She would just like an apology from the flight attendant who got it so badly, embarrassingly wrong.

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