Overview
- Hundreds of pilot and flight attendant reports compiled by the Wall Street Journal detail illnesses after suspected contamination episodes, with autopsies and medical records cited alongside studies that in some cases detected potentially harmful gases.
- Recent figures referenced in the coverage indicate reports of fume events on roughly 22 U.S. flights per day.
- Documented incidents describe acute impairment, including a 2015 Spirit Airlines flight where the first officer wrote that using an oxygen mask likely prevented a catastrophe after fumes left the captain incapacitated.
- Manufacturers and airlines, including Boeing and Airbus, maintain that aircraft meet health standards and say independent research has found contaminant levels on planes are generally low.
- Experts and unions point to gaps such as the lack of routine onboard air-quality sensors and no dedicated passenger reporting channel, and 39 members of Congress have urged the FAA to establish a traveler reporting system.