Manama: A Saudi passenger in Cairo refused to be taken to hospital to treat a broken arm over concerns she would have to wait for days to secure a new booking to fly home.
Sana Abdullah was waiting to board her flight when she lost her balance on the stairs in the waiting area and fell. She was injured and the medics who treated her believed she had broken her arm and decided to transfer her to a hospital. However, as they were preparing the ambulance, she refused to go to the hospital and insisted on taking Flight 11 home, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Wednesday.
Sana argued that if she missed the flight to the northern city of Hael, she would face great difficulty in securing a seat on any of the planes bound to Saudi Arabia since it was the peak travel season.
Sana said that she would rather fly with a broken arm than take the risk of making a fresh booking that might take a long time to materialise. The medics reportedly agreed, but made it clear that it would be at her own risk.
Thousands of Saudis vacationing in Egypt and Egyptians who work in Saudi Arabia are scheduled to fly back to the kingdom at the end of the summer holidays, resulting in a heavy rush at airports.
Mohammad, an Arab living in Dubai, recounted his ordeal to secure a seat on a plane flying from Tunis to Dubai after he missed his flight by “fleeting minutes”.
“I checked with several airlines and I was ready to take a flight to nearby airports, but there was none and I barely got my name on a waiting list that was two weeks later,” he said. “It was very frustrating, but there were no solutions. It seems all planes are fully booked, and I will have to rely on chance to find a seat before the new flying date,” he said.
