You all know that great addition to our travel ability that United implemented on January 1st.  In a nutshell, employees on the U.S. payroll who are on a paid/unpaid sick leave or illness leave of absence must obtain approval from their supervisor or manager before they or their eligible family members may travel using pleasure travel passes.

United has just announced in their Onboard Updates (Mar 10) a "limited set of situations that warrant exception to the 'No Travel When Sick policy'."

Here they are:

• The employee's need to travel to receive medical care or obtain a second medical opinion. (In either situation, the employee must provide verification of treatment to United's Medical Department within two weeks of traveling.)

• The employee becomes ill while traveling and requires transportation home. (Mid-sequence sick leave will be handled in accordance with the Contract.)

• An eligible family member must travel to care for the ill employee.

• The employee's immediate family member is critically ill or near death. (In the event that a member of the employee's immediate family dies, travel will be authorized under the Series 15 Emergency Transportation policy.)

Take a look at the last one: The employee's immediate family member is critically ill or near death.  Critically ill?  Critically is a pretty serious word.  There can be many cases where an immediate family member is very sick and needs care, but not CRITICALLY ILL OR NEAR DEATH.  Critical is ER and flashing red lights.

Why not use 'Seriously' instead?  Or, if using a phrase like 'CRITICALLY ILL OR NEAR DEATH', then at least further define and clarify what level of illness, pain/suffering, incapacity, or other situation fits that definition vs. just being a serious health issue.

Suppose an immediate family member is ill---say they tried passing a kidney stone the size of a Subaru that got blocked and now needs home/transportation assistance during their post-extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy care?  Now that's not ER and flashing red lights critical (click open).  It's quite serious, but not critical.  Does that mean that if a F/A has called in sick with the flu they cannot NRSA and care for them without going through the process of finding someone in 'local management' to grant 'permission'?

Or am I (and it wouldn't be the first time) missing the policy entirely?