Medical liabilities of the French physician passenger during a commercial air flight.

Nearly two billion passengers travel each year on commercial air flights. More elderly people and/or people with a pre-existing condition are taking to the air and with the anticipated growth of air travel, in-flight illnesses and injuries are expected to increase as well. Even if in-flight medical events and deaths are still uncommon, physician passengers are occasionally called upon to render assistance. Although no case law exists as yet in France, physicians who often travel on commercial flights should be aware of the risks they run if they do not respond to the well-known call, 'Is there a doctor on board?', or if they assist a sick passenger. This paper describes in-flight resources available to a physician who is called upon to treat an ill or injured passenger. Two questions concerning the French physician passenger are discussed: What are the liabilities of the physician who does not respond to the call of a medical event aboard an aircraft? What are the liabilities of the physician providing assistance to a sick passenger? The different liabilities and also the legal status of the French physician passenger are examined.