[Da Coyote]

‘Twould seem that this might have been something the USAF may have had the ability to help with...bring the poor woman home on one of their special medical transport planes.

I’m sorry to read this.

No citizen should be locked out of their own country.

[pfflier]

The State Department could have arranged a med-evac flight either commercially or with the cooperation of the USAF.

I'm wondering how cooperative the patient was? I'm guessing since they scheduled three flights she was pretty much intent on getting home.

[Mercat]

I looked into medical transport when my brother took ill in NYC while on vacation. We wanted to fly him back to KC. It would have cost around $8-10,000. We would have considered it but he was on a vent and they wouldn’t take him unless he was on a trake. He died before they could make that change. Then, they inquired into flying his body back. That would have cost $8K. Ended up cremating him.

[paul51]

she wasn’t locked out of the country. She was locked out of the aircraft

[MamaTexan]

It is sad, but the article says they were natives of Hungary. There is also no mention of them being or attempting to become citizens of the US, only that he worked in the Bronx.

So she wasn't 'locked out of her own country', she was IN her own country.