We arrived at Sydney Airport check-in counter ready for our 4-day Tasmanian adventure and everything was going smoothly. Then, somewhere during the check-in process, I casually mentioned to the lady that I was carrying an EpiPen (adrenalin injection) for my daughter's nut allergy.
There was a momentary pause...then a Supervisor was called. We were asked for a medical clearance or some proof that she had a medical condition requiring an EpiPen. Having travelled a number of times before, with the same airline at that, we had never been asked for this. So I had been pretty complacent about carrying the EpiPen with me. None of our paperwork mentioned anything about it either. In fact, on a trip less than a year before, a staff member - of the same airline - simply noted it on the system when I mentioned it to her at the counter. I told them all this and asked them to check their records but they wouldn't budge and insisted on a Doctor's letter. So I called our GP, explained the situation, and asked him to kindly fill in and return the form we were about the fax to him - which he did. In the meantime, the Supervisor was telling Hubby that it was too late. We had missed our flight. That was it. Easy as that. Our flight to Tasmania, gone!
Here I was, 7-and-a-half months pregnant, travelling with an 8-year old, a 5-year old and my husband. How much of a security threat could we seriously be? On a flight to Tasmania! Hello?!
I don't usually like causing 'scenes' but let's just say the few minutes that followed were not one of my proudest moments.
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