United Kingdom +++ Germany +++ Spain +++ Switzerland +++ Netherlands +++ North America +++ France

Petition-North America: Clean air in aircraft cabins
- a contingency in health and flying safety.

(This petition recognizes the coronavirus, its priority concern, and the probability that the pandemic will impose major change upon the airline industry. However, contaminants from leaked engine oil will continue to compromise the health of crewmembers, frequent flyers, and passengers unless and until action is taken. Please follow this international petition and its updates. Your signed support ultimately will convince lawmakers to respond in the interest of human health and flying safety. Thank you)

Have you ever felt exhausted after a flight? Dizzy? Nauseated? Did flu-like symptoms cause you to miss work? Have you experienced smoke in the cabin, obnoxious smells, disorientation, tremors, headache, or unusual sleepiness after flying? Do you know a frequent flyer, flight attendant, or pilot who suffers from brain, central nervous system, or respiratory disability?
Have you wondered why aircraft seat separation and width has become smaller and smaller in the 21st century? Do you exclaim with satisfaction the low fares charged for air travel, yet roll your eyes at extra expenses charged for customer services?

The airline industry reinvented itself in 1985 when, in response to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the Civil Aeronautics Board terminated its regulatory authority. The change was preconceived by Congress; preparation for change was not. Airline companies of the day were cast without assistance or ceremony upon a competitive battleground to survive or die as they would.      

Chaos reined for years. Falling ticket prices attained the Congressional goal of improved public access to air transportation. The cost? Loss of services to the population of new travelers and the insidious onset of a new health threat previously unknown among aircrew members, frequent flyers, and susceptible passengers.

Ticket prices, Seats, Fees for Service, Excessive Cost Cutting, Contaminated Cabin Air.

This is an international movement made necessary because every bleed air supported air conditioning system on airliners has the potential to produce unhealthy breathing air for passengers and crew. Our petition success will be presented to government lawmakers in the various countries. Please do not take my (our) word for what you will learn here. A foundation of essential information is available on the internet by using search words such as "aerotoxic syndrome" and "contaminated cabin air".

This Change.org petition with its regular updates will tell this story in detail. It is an opportunity to support with your signature a plan to return sound and safe business practices to an airline industry that is still struggling; still fighting for its survival after four decades of stress and strife, especially in the USA.

(1) https://flyersrights.org/petition-re-shrinking-airline-seats-passenger-space/
(2) “Hard Landing”. 1995, 1996 Thomas Petzinger, Jr. The epic contest for power and profits that plunged the airlines into chaos.
(3) References abound regarding the toxicants of most concern in synthetic lubricating oil. They will be discussed in updates to follow.

UPDATE #1

The Airline Industry

A high cost - highly capitalized - high maintenance industry supported by competitively set ticket prices.

Competitively set low fares – Or – Your trip experience by the lowest bidder.

You get what you pay for.

The Airline Deregulation Act (of Congress) of 1978 was made necessary because of  government over-management that began at the dawn of travel by air. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) had micromanaged every activity within airline operations. Its high fares were unaffordable for most people. The Act dissolved regulatory authority in 1985. The CAB simply went out of business. From suffocating rules and limitations, air carriers found themselves with complete autonomy over their operations and management. They now had free rein to reform the air transportation industry at will – or more assuredly – by survival of the fittest.

The airline industry quickly and very aggressively culled (1) the least efficient carriers from its membership. Eastern, Braniff, National, Western, Piedmont, Republic, Hughes Airwest, Pan American, TWA to name a few, all gone by 2001. Passenger seats at surviving carriers filled with new flyers paying 35% to 40% lower than was common under regulated fares. These new fares (1) failed to cover costs, a fact overlooked by everyone at the time. Reduced revenue from low fares gradually depleted airline coffers of revenue accumulated under CAB rule.

Why so much concern about the revenue/cost relationship after deregulation?

The Regulated Era – to 1985

Before deregulation took hold between 1980 and 1985, operating costs were well covered by the CAB-set fare schedules. Air carrier engine maintenance schedules followed manufacturer recommended time between overhaul (TBO), which was established at about 5,000 flight hours for the turbojet engines used from 1952 until approximately 1985.
During this period, employed as a workers compensation underwriter, loss control service provider, and claims coordinator actively serving the airline industry, I studied claims reports for our many airline insurance policyholders. Before 1980 no claims were made for illness or injury from cabin smoke or fumes. Cabin smoke and or fumes were limited to galley odors, electrical malfunction, cigarette smoking, or other non-oil sourced causes. Cigarette smoke actually was hardly noticed inflight. No injury claims were ever filed arising from cabin air contamination. Working directly with a National Safety Council group of international ground safety managers cabin air contamination was never a topic for business or casual discussion. Oil based fume events did not occur.

A transition period – Old aircraft give way to widebody airliners
Boeing 707, DC-8, B-727, DC-9, MD-80 >>>> B-747, DC10, L-1011 – or
Turbojet power >>>> Turbofan power

From turbojet maintenance, prevention oriented, TBO of 5,000 flight hours at cost of estimated $300,000 to the large turbofan powerplants of the wide-bodies, cost for overhaul had exploded toward $2,000,000. (2)
CAB-set fares covered the cost of turbojet engine maintenance. We can expect that aging engine oil seals were regularly replaced. Competitively set fares after deregulation, which were 35% to 40% less than CAB fares, were now tasked with covering engine maintenance costs six times greater. Something had to give.

The new generation fleets

The old fleets of narrow and wide-body aircraft were replace by the B-737, 767, 757 and the Airbus family from A319 to 330 and beyond. All powered by new generation turbofan engines, fully reliable for twin engine ocean crossings, engineers had now projected the industry to new levels of operational and cost efficiency .

Not necessarily in anticipation of deregulation, aircraft engineers of the early 1970s had been developing engine health monitoring techniques, an electronic method of keeping track of engine performance. Sensors for various engine operating and performance conditions like vibration, temperatures, pressures, and RPM could be recorded to memory and reviewed at intervals. This system soon evolved into a full-blown predictive tool for engine health management. Manufacturers have never really let go of TBO. Air carriers, however, have required installation of satellite data transmitting health management systems installed on all engines as a saver of maintenance cost and protector of competitive position. From 5,000 hours to 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 hours, engines now stay on wing without major maintenance.

EHM*, CBM*, Predictive Maintenance (3) – and contaminated cabin air.

Contaminated cabin air is caused by gradual deterioration of seals and shaft bearings as engines and APUs age over flight hours and aircraft cycles. Manufacturing tolerances between the few moving parts, the compressor and turbine bearings and bearing seals, can expand allowing oil to escape. Seal material can wear, develop cracks, and very occasionally can fail. Oil leaks and resulting smoke and/or fumes will occur accordingly. (There are really eight ways that oil can be caused to leak. Two more are overfilling of engine and APU oil reservoirs and pilot throttle technique.)

Since so many fume events at an estimated rate of, say, 5 plus (X) number of odorless events occur every day, we can safely suspect that seals are no longer being replaced as they once were. Turbofan engine overhaul cost can now exceed $3,000,000 per overhaul, which carriers cannot afford. Savings to air carriers over time compared with manufacturer recommended TBO is in the billions. Flight attendants and pilots have been paying the price. They have covered up this dangerous situation for the airline industry for four decades.

Why sign this petition?

Flight crew losses in health and the personal cost incurred for recovery from neurological and respiratory injuries is very real, even financially devastating. If the currently self-regulated airline industry is permitted to continue to avoid its responsibilities to crewmembers and passengers, imposing health problems and healthcare cost will continue. An element of impaired flying safety will also remain.

* EHM – Engine Health Management. CBM – Condition Based Maintenance.

 

References:

(1) New Fares - the up side of deregulation.

https://reason.com/2018/05/26/if-you-can-afford-a-plane-tick/

(2) Aircraft Engines Maintenance Costs and Reliability  https://run.unl.pt/bitstream/10362/8792/3/TEGI0308.pdf

(3) Aircraft Engine Advanced Health Management: The Power of the Foresee

https://www.ndt.net/events/EWSHM2016/app/content/Paper/421_Ulizar.pdf

“The primary motivation of this development is, not surprisingly, competitiveness.”

“Oil/fuel system measurements” – BUT – there is no sensor for oil leaks!

See Items 4, 5, 6.