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

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  07.28.09 | 1:30 PM ET

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.

Tags: Air Travel, Health, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


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

Ling 07.29.09 | 10:02 AM ET

Yes… A little common sense would come in handy, especially when someone ahead of you is sniffling with a cold, and someone else nearby says swine flu, and you start backing oof slowly…

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