How to Fly with Plaster On

Whether you broke a leg or just a wrist, it is important to know how to fly safely while wearing a plaster cast. It's common knowledge that the body tends to swell during flights, but many people don't know what that means if they are in an unmovable cast or what the airline regulations are.

Instructions

• 1

  Assess your risk of swelling. Prolonged sitting in cramped quarters causes pooling of blood in the deep veins of lower limbs, resulting in leg swelling. A limb is also more prone to swelling soon after injury.

• 2

  Delay your flight for at least 48 hours after a cast is applied if possible. The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority does not have specific regulations regarding casts, but it is a good idea to ask your doctor and heed the advice of the UK's Civil Aviation Authority to avoid pain while flying. According to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, the majority of airlines restrict flying for 24 hours on flights of less than two hours or 48 hours for longer flights. This is because air may be trapped within and beneath the cast, which could expand during flight. Swelling also tends to be more likely within the first 48 hours after cast application based on how much time has passed since the injury. Flights also tend to increase swelling in general. If, however, you have an urgent need for travel directly after cast application, the plaster cast may need to be split by a doctor to accommodate any swelling.

• 3

  Check the policies of the airline on which you are traveling. Most U.S. airlines do not have official policies regarding casts, but if you are traveling withing 48 hours of any cast application or with a full leg cast, call the airline and explain your situation before arrival. Delta and US Airways, for example, will allow you to fly with a cast no matter when it was applied, leaving it up to your doctor as to whether you should fly. Someone in a full leg cast will be given the bulkhead seat if possible for extra legroom, but additional seat purchase is not usually required.

  According to EasyJet, a European airline, a person with a leg in full plaster must purchase three seats to keep the leg elevated during flight (regardless of when the cast was applied). Any other type of cast requires only one seat. Any cast that has been on for less than 48 hours must be split by a doctor.

• 4

  Do not book an emergency exit row seat if wearing a cast. Most airlines will not allow someone who is not completely fit and healthy to sit in an emergency exit aisle since those people are responsible for helping other passengers during an emergency evacuation.