^{“We have monitored and reported on this important issue since 2006.  There appears to be an impasse between Government and Campaigners, perhaps fuelled by the fear of expensive litigation.  We have called for the immediate installation of filters on all bleed aircraft, an obligatory reporting system for crew and passengers alike and the creation of a ‘no fault protocol’,  uniting passengers, crew, airlines, manufacturers, oil companies, scientists, lawyers and politicians in a quest to resolve this important 21st century problem.  I ask; is that too much to ask in order to guarantee safety – will EASA act to protect the interests of all aviation stakeholders?”} Read More

I was in London last week discussing amongst other things, the future Consumer Objective and Regulation of the Airline Industry in the UK.  During that meeting, I discussed with one member of the stakeholder group, the issue of safety and in particular, the growing awareness surrounding the Aerotoxic or Sick Aircraft Syndrome issue.  I expressed the view that whatever the current enquiry commissioned by Parliament, this issue is real and will not go away.  I predicted that whilst some ‘interested parties’ are engaged in ‘naysayer’ activities on this subject, the next 3 to 5 years will see the growth of groups of airline passengers taking action because of their exposure to toxic fumes!  As if to underline this point, today’s news surrounding the emergency landing of a British airline jet, is surely a timely warning to the industry and the authorities! Read More

This is a critical moment for the future of EU holidaymakers and in particular, British holidaymakers! In 1990, the EU created the Package Travel Directive which was then adopted into various National Laws; the UK adopted this Directive as The Package Travel Regulations in 1992. Many millions of EU holidaymakers have enjoyed the benefit of Protection under this Directive – those Protections are now seriously threatened. Since 2003, there has been an attempt by the Travel Industry to reinterpret these Regulations, by reinventing themselves as ‘travel agents’, through internet sales. Whilst we are to be rightly concerned with the Financial Protection of holidaymakers, we must also be aware of the many other detriments or problems suffered by holidaymakers, which, according to online terms and conditions, are not the responsibility of these new ‘travel agents’! It is now imperative that the Consumer position is presented to the EU Commission following the announcement of their latest Consultation on Holiday Rights. It is simple; if the Commission is persuaded to keep the ‘internet’ players outside the remit of any new Directive, Consumers will be returned to the so-called pre-1992 ‘Golden Age’ of Travel when there was little or no Consumer Protection. The answers to this survey will be used to back up previous HolidayTravelWatch surveys and its findings will be presented to the EU Commission in February 2010. Your contribution is both valuable and timely – we would like to thank you for your kind assistance on this survey! Read More

The news that a British Aircaft was subject to a smoke or fume event requiring evacuation of some 300 passengers and crew, is a timely reminder of the Aerotoxic Syndrome debate.  The question of what caused this event to occur is we hope still a matter for further investigation.  However, it was clear from the report that a number of passengers were overcome by fumes, but we are not assisted as to how many received assistance following this exposure.  The issue leads to a number of questions and we hope that the Committee of Toxicity (COT), the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have considered, irrespective of which airline is involved or whatever the cause of a smoke or fume event, to be a welcome opportunity to create an important set of guidelines on how such events should be monitored, for example, they should co-ordinate to ensure that: Read More

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), has called for evidence on the issue of Aerotoxic or Sick Aircraft Syndrome.  Their investigation remit has stated that: Read More

The growing disquiet on the issue of fumes or smoke in aircraft cabins is a subject matter that will not go away.  The effects of these events often lead to serious reports of immediate and long term sickness amongst aircrew and passengers.  There is a strong debate on the causes of these events which have become widely known as either ‘Aerotoxic Syndrome’ or ‘Sick Aircraft Syndrome’.  There is compelling evidence for example, to show that one of the compounds of jet engine oil – Tricresyl-Phosphate – is the active agent that causes serious neurological and other debilitating symptoms (a good indicator of such evidence can be found in ‘The Aviation Contamination Air Reference Manual’).  The disquiet expressed by Organisations such as The Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE) and The Aerotoxic Association has led to the distribution of the ‘whistleblower’ film – ‘Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines’ to all Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, along with a second call for a Public Enquiry on this important issue. Read More

The Aerotoxic Association and the organisation Toxic Free Airlines, have today announced that they have sent to every Member of Parliament and Member of the House of Lords, a free copy of the excellent film expose by Tristan Loraine; ‘Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines’. Read More