Eli and Joe Brockliss say they were refused medical assistance during a miscarriage at Tahiti International Airport.
Eli and Joe Brockliss say they were refused medical assistance during a miscarriage at Tahiti International Airport.
A Kiwi couple flying through French Polynesia say a flight cancellation turned into trauma, when they suffered a miscarriage during an unscheduled layover in Tahiti Airport.
One year later the airline still says it has no record of the event.
Eli and Joe Brockliss, 33 and 40, were travelling with Air Tahiti Nui back to America and Mexico, where they live, after a trip to share their news with family in Rotorua.
Transiting Tahiti Airport, Papeete on March 11 last year they had a six-hour layover before travelling to Los Angeles at about midnight on flight TN106.
However, after being informed of a two-hour delay, this was later extended to a cancellation. Due to the late time of day, accommodation was not provided with economy-class passengers expected to sleep in the departure lounge.
The situation turned nightmarish after Eli says she suffered a bleed.
“At 3am, I advised the staff that my wife suspected she was having a miscarriage,” Joe told the Herald, saying airline staff appeared unwilling to help after telling them she was only three-months pregnant. Air Tahiti Nui disputes the person spoken to was one of their employees.
A late miscarriage in the second trimester may require medical attention but is not necessarily an emergency, unlike after six months which is considered ‘premature labour’ according to the NZ College of Midwives. At any stage the college advises couples who are experiencing heavy bleeding to go to hospital. The couple say airport staff were unable to provide immediate help.
“We told staff what was happening, they said there would be no doctor on site until 8am. They couldn’t even provide sanitary products or clothes.”
At 4am Eli says she had the miscarriage and was left to deal with it alone.
“They just completely abandoned us,” said Eli.
“I asked if some of the ladies could help, and one said ‘Oh yeah, sure. We will bring some pads’, but none came.”
Eventually, the couple say they were required to leave the airport - wearing the same clothes - and at 7am they were checked into a replacement service to Los Angeles with Air France. They were not able to see a doctor.
When asked by the Herald why it had taken a year to share their story, Joe Brockliss said they had raised a complaint with the airline but Tahiti Nui disputed their claim. The airline offered an apology for the cancellation but said it had no record of their request for medical assistance.
“I was angry and felt helpless after being treated like this, to be questioned if the thing even existed,” said Joe.
The couple wrote to the airline on 1 May, which was acknowledged on May 5 and on May 9 the airline said it would be opening an internal investigation. On 25 May, four weeks after the formal complaint, that the airline responded with “sincere apologies for the inconveniences encountered.”
As airport hotels were already full, with “the few available rooms were reserved for our passengers from Business class.”
Regarding the alleged miscarriage the airline said that an investigation found no record of the incident by staff.
“Given the seriousness of the alleged case, it would have been the subject of a report,” wrote the airline.
In the response Air Tahiti Nui also claimed that “in accordance with the regulations” Eli should not have been flown without a medical consultation following the serious nature of the incident.
Air Tahiti Nui refused a refund on the grounds that they were able to transfer the couple on another carrier, Air France.
Air France and the civil aviation agency for French Polynesia were contacted regarding the incident.
Joe and Eli Brockliss, centre, travelled to New Zealand where they were married at a ceremony in Rotorua, attended by Joe's parents, John and Kathleen.
Originally from Auckland, Joe met Eli in Mexico City, where he works as a performance psychologist.
The couple were travelling to New Zealand to be married at a ceremony with Joe’s family in Rotorua on 22 February and were returning to share the news with Eli’s mother who lives in the US, in Georgia.
The miscarriage changed the mood of the visit and their willingness to travel in future.
“It’s not about the money,” says Eli. “They cannot repair what they did, or what they didn’t do.”
The couple - who are happy to be expecting again - say they have reservations about travelling long distances, especially with a child.
“I definitely wouldn’t look at doing a stopover again,” says Eli, who said the experience was traumatic and disorienting.
“As a foreigner, you don’t know what access there is to health care”.
Air Tahiti Nui confirmed that there was an internal investigation following first being notified of the issue on May 1.
“In regards to the internal report, it found that the situation described by the customers was not brought to the attention of any [of the Air Tahiti Nui or Tahiti Airport staff] “all of whom are trained to handle situations such as this,” read a statement to the Herald.
As the replacement service was not operated by Air Tahiti Nui, their records were incomplete.
The carrier said the support provided was “in line with the airline’s procedures and policies regarding customer health and safety.”
Under international airline conventions, carriers have a duty of care to travellers which extends for the duration of their journey. This includes unexpected airport layovers.
Airlines which fail to follow conventions could face penalties from civil aviation bodies.
The Montreal Convention, which means airlines are liable for the death or injury to passengers, is overseen by the CAA and the Ministry of Transport in New Zealand.
However the convention only covers harm to a passenger “as a result of an accident,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport.
“The Ministry is not aware of legislation that would cover this particular issue.”
Need support?
If you think you may be having a miscarriage, contact your lead maternity carer - this may be a midwife or your GP. Alternatively, call Healthline free on 0800 611 116, or visit your local Urgent Medical Centre or hospital
