My family and I werent allowed to fly because our baby had bug bites: We felt like criminals

A family was banned from boarding their flight because airline staff were suspicious of insect bites on their son’s leg.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 one-year-old son Joseph as they went to the gate to board, and asked British Airways staff at the desk where they could buy some allergy medication, just in case.They claim the check-in desk assistant called a medical advice hotline who said they couldn’t board — over fears the rash around the bites was actually a reaction to Joseph’s mild peanut allergy which could worsen during the flight.Staff said the tot needed a ‘fit to fly’ letter from a doctor, and were escorted out away from the boarding gate, while “feeling like criminals”.They waited the whole day in the airport after they re-booked flights with another airline – which didn’t require a letter — for that evening.The bites — no larger than half an inch in diameter — disappeared within 10-15 minutes of applying a bite cream and didn’t cause him any more discomfort.Jonathan, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, who works in marketing and sales in Hangzhou, said: “It was nothing more than swollen bites.“At the desk they asked loads of questions after they saw the bites and so we told them about his mild peanut allergy.“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.“His bites were actually going down by this point, and my son was completely fine.“But as we were speaking, staff were already unloading our suitcases.“We were treated like we had done something wrong.”The dual-nationality family were flying back on May 1 for a family wedding on May 3.They had paid $4,000 for...