takenthe5thamendment
With regard to air quality, I took this up with our Safety Team some time ago, following questions from customers, and was advised quite specifically that the air filters that we use in the cabin are equivalent/identical to those use in hospital operating theatres. As such, they provide a higher level of protection to customers than is available on say a bus, train or in almost any air conditioned public environment. SARS and TB are alive and well in some major cities, and there is no greater risk from being in an aircraft than from being in proximity to infected persons in these other locations, in fact, possibly less.
Aircraft cabins are commonly pressurised to some 6-8K feet, depending upon the actual cruising altitude. This, naturally, results in lower concentrations of oxygen than at ground level. This should not be confused with a deliberate attempt to induce hypoxia as a cost saving exercise. Diana Fairechild's symptom list includes:
. You are having difficulty concentrating on tasks such as reading or business work.
. Your lungs ache.
. Your skin feels clammy.
. You feel nauseated (and there's no turbulence).
. You have a headache.
Any or all of these symptoms are vague and subjective in the extreme, especially on a night sector, and it is entirely possible that they are unrelated to the Cabin Air supply. Her suggestion that customers should require the crew to make aircraft system changes based on these symptoms are unwise. Her other suggestion that customers should demand the use of an oxygen bottle is both selfish and misguided. The oxygen bottles provided on an aircraft are primarily intended for use either after a decompression or for passengers experiencing severe medical conditions. The use of oxygen to overcome a headache or an inability "concentrating on tasks such as reading or business work" might later deprive someone else in greater need.
Higher up this thread there are some explanation from pilots and Cabin Crew as to how the various systems work and are applied. Against that, we have Diana Fairechild, a lady who clearly has a vested interest in writing about a more sensationalist version of events. In her case, a little knowledge has clearly proved to be a dangerous thing.
I can only pass on something I've found to be the case in 24 years of flying - Not once have I met a pilot who admitted to switching off packs to save fuel, or to even feeling pressured to do so. In my experience of pilots, any corporate request to do so might well result in the opposite action. Neither pilots, nor cabin crew have any greater wish to work in an unhealthy environment than anybody else. Diana fairechild's suggestion that they would do so is crass.