Simon Calder: Travel Industry Needs an ‘Outbreak of Common Sense’

Photo by Sarihuella via Flickr (Creative Commons)

In the wake of last week’s news about British airlines requiring doctor’s notes from passengers with potential swine flu symptoms, the Independent’s Simon Calder calls for some common sense. “A decade ago the tourism industry worked itself into a frenzy predicting the likely effects of the “Millennium Bug”, when the clocks driving primitive computers ticked over from year 99 to 00,” he writes. Of course, we made it through that scare. But then, he goes on: “[J]ust when you thought it was safe to go on holiday, the front-page headlines this week threaten the plans of anyone with a sniffle.”

Calder finds the common sense he’s seeking from, of all people, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, who offered reassurances that his airline wouldn’t be hunting down every passenger who sneezes in the security line: “Our staff are not medical experts,” he said.

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