Grounded! (No Thanks To Airlines’ Policies On Expectant Mothers)

Someone asked me at the office today when my next antenatal check-up is and I replied 27th February, plus MGTT (modified glucose tolerance test) on 1st of March. Only then did it strike me — I’ll be 28 weeks pregnant by the first week of March! And that means, I’m going to grounded soon. Literally!

You see, airlines’ policies tend to vary when it comes to pregnancies.

KLM is one of the more flexible ones, allowing mothers pregnant with a single baby, who have no complications or risk, to travel up to 36 weeks.

AirAsia, on the other hand, tends to be on the more ‘careful’ side:

(a) Pregnancy up to 27 weeks (inclusive): AirAsia will accept the guest without a doctor’s certificate provided the guest signs a Limited Liability Statement.
(b) Pregnancy between 28 weeks to 34 weeks (inclusive): guest shall produce a doctor’s certificate confirming the number of weeks of pregnancy, which shall be dated not more than 30 days from either the scheduled outbound or inbound flight departure date (as the case may be). It is highly recommended that the doctor’s certificate includes a statement to the effect that guest is fit to travel. The passenger will also need to sign a Limited Liability Statement.
(c) Pregnancy 35 weeks and above: AirAsia will refuse carriage.

Malaysia Airlines requires medical clearance for “expectant mothers approaching 35 weeks (international travel) or 36 weeks (domestic travel) of pregnancy” BUT they add a special clause stating:

*Non-Malaysian women who are pregnant beyond 6 months are not allowed to fly into the country.

Even that is new to me!

If only Continental Airlines is operating in Asia, I’d definitely  fly with them. Their guidelines state:

• Women in any stage of pregnancy are accepted for transportation on Continental.
• Continental policy requires a doctor’s certificate within 7 days of anticipated delivery. This should be advised when the reservation is made. However, boarding will only be denied if physical signs of labor are present.
• Women beyond the seventh month of pregnancy should be advised to consult a physician prior to traveling.

But just because I won’t be flying for many months to come, it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be writing travel-related posts anymore. I still have tonnes of travel stories and photos to share with you, including our experience with camper vans in New Zealand which I *promise* to feature in my next post. So there. Something to definitely look forward to! :)