After Crew is Sickened, AFA-CWA Renews Call for Cabin Air Testing

Citing a report this week of a US Airways flight crew being hospitalized for symptoms of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, AFA-CWA renewed its call for legislation to provide for research on aircraft cabin air quality.

The two pilots and three flight attendants complained of a foul odor in and around the cockpit on a flight from Washington to Boston Nov. 4.  The aircraft returned to Washington and the crew and passengers changed planes and took off once again.  However, the crew experienced headaches and nausea in flight and received treatment after arriving in Boston.  None of the 81 passengers reported problems.

"Poor cabin air quality has been an issue at the forefront of AFA-CWA for years and our efforts to make significant advances in the identification, treatment and ultimate removal of the problem as been thwarted by several U.S. carriers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)," said AFA-CWA President Pat Friend.

The union has participated in an extensive study with the Occupational Health Research Consortium in Aviation to identify health issues related to poor cabin air quality, she noted.  However, the research has been stymied because "Carriers have repeatedly prevented flight attendants from carrying small, unobtrusive sampling devices onboard aircraft to capture air quality samples," she said.

AFA-CWA is pressing the U.S. Senate to follow the example of the House in allowing for the collection and analysis of cabin air samples as part of the pending FAA budget reauthorization bill.