Can you fly with chickenpox?
Airlines count from the last new spot, not the first — which is why so many families get turned away at check-in having genuinely waited long enough.
The short answer. Not while you are still infectious. Most UK airlines require 7 days from the last new spot (British Airways: 6 days from the last crop, crusted over, no fever). TUI, Ryanair and British Airways also require a doctor’s letter confirming you are no longer contagious. easyJet and Jet2 set a waiting period but ask for no letter.
What each airline requires
| Airline | Waiting period | Letter required? |
|---|---|---|
| TUI | 7 days after the last new spot | Yes |
| Jet2 | 7 days after the last new spot | No |
| easyJet | 7 days after the last new spot | No |
| Ryanair | 7 days after the last new spot | Yes |
| British Airways | 6 days after the last new spot | Yes |
Why airlines care
This is not really about whether flying is bad for you when you have chickenpox — it is about everyone else on the aircraft. A cabin is a sealed space with recirculated air and a couple of hundred strangers, some of whom will be pregnant, immunosuppressed or travelling with a newborn. Chickenpox is highly contagious and genuinely dangerous to those groups. Airlines therefore refuse visibly infectious passengers, and several want it in writing that you are past that stage.
The NHS date and the airline date are different
The NHS says you are no longer infectious once all the spots have crusted over, which is about 5 days after the spots first appear. That rule counts from when the rash appeared.
Airlines count from the last new spot. Chickenpox arrives in crops over several days, so if the first spots appeared on a Monday and the last new one on a Thursday, the two clocks are already three days apart before you start counting. People arrive at the airport having correctly followed NHS advice and are still turned away.
Work to the airline’s rule, and be honest with yourself about which day the last genuinely new spot appeared.
When not to fly
Do not travel — and speak to a doctor rather than an airline — if the person with chickenpox is an adult with a severe rash, is pregnant, is immunosuppressed, has a newborn, or has breathing difficulty, a high fever that will not settle, drowsiness, or skin around the spots that is hot, red and spreading. Chickenpox complications are uncommon but real, and a flight is the wrong place for them.
Common questions
How long after chickenpox can you fly?
Most UK airlines require 7 days from the last new spot; British Airways requires 6 days from the last crop with the spots crusted over and no fever. Count from the last new spot, not the first.
Can my child fly with chickenpox if the spots have scabbed?
If every lesion has crusted and the airline’s waiting period has passed, yes. Residual scabs and marks are fine — what matters is that nothing is still blistering or weeping. Where the airline requires a letter, you will still need it even if the rash looks resolved.
Do we need a fit to fly certificate for chickenpox?
With TUI, Ryanair and British Airways, yes. easyJet and Jet2 publish a waiting period but do not require one. Other carriers do not publish a chickenpox policy at all — contact them, and expect to be asked for a letter.
We fly in two days and spots are still appearing. What now?
You will not clear the window. Contact your airline or tour operator and your insurer today rather than after the departure date, and get a not fit to fly certificate to support the claim. Most policies expect you to cancel as soon as you know.
Is chickenpox covered by travel insurance?
Cancellation cover generally responds to an unforeseen illness that makes travel inadvisable, and chickenpox in a child usually qualifies. What insurers will not cover is a trip cancelled without medical evidence, so get the letter. Check your policy for the definition of close relative if the ill person is not the policyholder.
Can you fly with shingles instead?
Shingles is a different question, because it only spreads while the rash is weeping. See flying with shingles.
Related
Sources. The airline and clinical facts on this page were checked against these primary sources on 24 August 2026. Airline policies change without notice — always confirm with your airline before you book or travel.
Need a fit to fly certificate?
If your airline, insurer or tour operator has asked for medical confirmation, a GMC-registered UK GP can review your case and issue the letter the same day.
Get startedReviewed by a GMC-registered GP. Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued on clinical grounds.