Union calls for action after cabin crew sick from plane fumes
A flight crew union has called for regulation of cabin air quality following a third instance of emitting fumes or odour on an American Airlines plane in the past three months.
In the latest incident several flight attendants complained of headaches on an Orlando bound flight this week.
Eight crew members on flight 1868 from Charlotte were examined and given a clean bill of health by paramedics at the airport but all but one ‘insisted’ they be taken to hospital, ABC News reported.
The airline said it is undertaking a ‘thorough maintenance inspection’ of the A330 jet.
“The health and welfare of our crews and customers continues to be our top priority at American Airlines. We take cabin odour issues seriously and have devoted extensive efforts over time, including working with aircraft, engine and auxiliary power unit manufacturers, to address these types of concerns,” the airline said in a statement.
“Our technical operations team actively monitors and conducts in-depth inspections whenever a cabin odor event is reported by one of our crew members.”
The Association of Flight Attendants CWA wants to see more oversight at a federal level.
“The issue of oil-contaminated bleed air in the cabin continues to be a serious threat for crews to become impaired/incapacitated in-flight, and cause long-term and disabling health effects,” said union president Sara Nelson.
“We must all demand regulation of cabin air quality to protect flight crews and passengers.”
In recent service difficulty reports filed by the airline to the Federal Aviation Administration, the same plane suffered two other incidents including a ‘dirty sock odour’ on November 23.
Five days later another report was filed after flight attendants ‘smelled fumes’ on the aircraft.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent