A family was banned from boarding their flight after British Airways staff became suspicious ofinsect biteson their baby's leg, according to a report from SWNS. Expat Jonathan Arthur, 34, and his wife Xun Sun, 35, were flying from Shanghai Pudong Airport to London Heathrow for a family wedding. They noticed some insect bites on their 1-year-old son Joseph's leg as they approached the boarding gate and asked airline staff where they could buy someallergy medication, just in case. Flesh-eating New World Screwworm Could Pose Health Risks To Cattle, Humans When the staff at the boarding gate saw the bites and heard the family talking about allergy medication, they became concerned, the report stated. "They asked loads of questions after they saw the bites, and so we told them about his mildpeanut allergy," said Jonathan Arthur. "The medical staff at the airport said to apply some ointment and wait 10 minutes, which we were happy to do. But the BA staff said we needed to call their medical advice line. They thought his peanut allergy was the cause — so they didn't want to take the risk." Read On The Fox News App The family also sent photos to an online doctor, who confirmed they were insect bites but recommended administering some antihistamines to help withthe swelling. The baby's bites were no larger than 1 cm in diameter and disappeared within 10 to 15 minutes after applying the bite cream, causing him no further discomfort, as stated by SWNS. Pregnant Woman And Baby Saved After Doctors Find Grapefruit-sized Tumor: 'Extremely Rare' "It was nothing more than swollen bites," said Jonathan Arthur. Despite the fact that the baby's bites were already starting to subside, the airline said the family wouldn't be allowed to board without a "fit to fly" letter from a doctor. The Arthurs were escorted away from the gate, "feeling like criminals," according to the SWNS report. They rebooked withanother airlinethat did not require a medical letter. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "We were treated like we had done something wrong," said Jonathan Arthur, per the SWNS report. In a statement to Fox News Digital, British Airways stated, "We take the safety and well-being of our customers very seriously and do everything we can to support them when issues like this arise. This includes accessing specialistmedical adviceto assess an individual's suitability to travel, which is what happened in this case." "Whilst we appreciate our customer was disappointed with this decision, we never compromise passenger safety." Jonathan and Xun Arthur are now in contact with British Airways and their third-party booking agency to claim a refund for thedisrupted travel. For more Health articles, visitwww.foxnews.com/health "I find it strange that someone else in a different country can speak to an airport staff member who isn't a medical professional, and diagnose and refuse boarding, without seeing the rash," Jonathan Arthur added. "When you pay for a service, you expect to be treated like a customer, not like a hindrance." Original article source:Family kicked off flight over son's insect bites despite doctor's approval
