IT’S one thing to walk your customers’ dogs but to start dishing out aspirins and take on the role of the chemist could be taking things a bit far.
Emma Christofferson, aged 28, recently died from a blood clot when she arrived back home in the UK after travelling on a Qantas flight from Australia. Her death has prompted calls from consumer watchdogs and health experts for agents and airlines to make revisions.
Since the recent tragedy, it has emerged that two other people died from related illnesses following long-haul flights.
According to Farrol Kahn, director at the Aviation Health Institute, which researches air deaths, agents and airlines should send out aspirins along with each ticket issued.
Christofferson died from deep-vein thrombosis, DVT, which is often referred to as economy-class syndrome because it can be brought on by sitting for long periods in cramped conditions. Doctors say an aspirin taken a few hours before take-off can thin the blood and reduce the risk of clots.
Kahn is preparing to give the Government a five-point plan to offer passengers advice about long-haul flights. “We are asking agents and airlines to pop one aspirin in a wallet to be sent out with their tickets. The advice will be worded in such a way to act as a disclaimer, so if there are people who suffer from strokes and allergies, they will be advised on what to do.”
Kahn’s plans will include tips on what to wear to avoid blood clots, calls for larger seat pitches, and for airlines to encourage doctors to come forward on flights and for airlines to reward them for doing so.
But the legal implications of agents or airlines offering passengers aspirins every time they travel are enormous. Manchester-based Dykes Travel managing partner Geoff Dykes said it was up to airlines and agents to offer advice.
He said: “To suggest that agents start giving out medication for economy passengers is silly and if you ask people to start walking around on flights you’ll give the stewardesses problems.
“Airlines and agents must make people aware of the problems in an appropriate manner. We tell our passengers about Air Canada’s super comfort product. Passengers have to pay more for the airline’s larger economy seats with more leg room but people nowadays are prepared to pay more.”
ABTApoints the finger firmly at the airlines, which it believes can do more to make passengers aware of DVT.
“If agents start issuing aspirins, the next thing you know they’ll be getting sued for allergic reactions. And at this rate retailers will be telling customers how to fix the aircraft’s safety belts,” said an ABTAspokesman. “This is not the agent’s job. I don’t think it’s up to retailers or carriers to start dishing out aspirins but Ibelieve airlines can do more.”
British Airways is cautious about telling passengers to take an aspirin before flying, as is Air Jamaica. Both airlines offer in-flight advice and BA cites its own health Web site which offers tips about DVT.
But while neither airline wants passengers leaping out of their seats every hour, Air Jamaica prides itself on its pre-landing aerobic session – a 10-minute workout.
Air Jamaica general manager Europe Tony Cowles: “Handing out aspirins is very dangerous; what if passengers are on other drugs? If passengers are not fit to fly, then they should seek advice before they go.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s up to the airline and the agent to better inform the passenger. Carriers should tell people through in-flight magazines that they should move around and stretch more.”
Bad medicine? The Aviation Health Institute wants aspirins to be packaged with airline tickets
BA site: health tips on DVT
Division over seat pitch
THE AVIATION Health Institute is calling for seat pitches on airlines to be increased, despite mixed reactions from travel industry experts.
The organisation’s director Farrol Kahn said the UK has the worst record for seat pitches in the world.
“We carried out a survey of 100 airlines, and the UK came bottom of the list,” said Kahn. “It’s all down to the Civil Aviation Authority and its low level of seat pitch that it requires. It only asks for 26 inches between each seat. But we have grown taller over the years and this seat pitch is a Japanese size.”
Kahn said a seat pitch of 31 inches or less is the quickest way to get a blood clot.
“We are calling for airlines to change seat pitches to at least 32 or 33 inches,” said Kahn.
But the CAAhas denied responsibility. ACAA spokesman said: “Our responsibility here is aircraft safety – it’s the airlines that have the doctors to look after the health of crew and passengers. The CAAis a safety regulator, we do not look at well being.
“If you are susceptible to DVT and you remain in a seated position for a considerable period of time, you could suffer from it. It’s got nothing to do with being in an airline.”
Qantas offers a 32-inch seat pitch, six inches larger than the CAA standard. The Australian airline believes it is not just airlines which can cause DVT. It also offers advice in its in-flight magazine and on its in-flight radio.