Flying the Unfriendly Skies: A Case Report

We report the case of an older adult foreign national with severe respiratory failure who was brought via a commercial airline to the United States. Hospitalized and orally intubated in his home country, his son, a US citizen, decided to translocate his father to the United States. He purchased tickets for adjoining seats on a prominent international commercial airline and brought his orally intubated, stretcher-bound father onto the plane without any accompanying medical professionals, security screening, or preapproved transport. Despite this, they traveled to New York and phoned 911 upon landing, allowing him to bypass the standard customs procedures.