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Nobody wants to get sick onboard an aircraft, least of all the flight crew or the flight attendants. However, it can and does happen, and there have been numerous incidents in the last few months when aircraft have been diverted after a number of flight attendants onboard became sick during a flight. So what happens in such cases, and how do airlines deal with it?
Although such events are rare, airlines take them seriously when they occur. The most common causes of in-flight sickness for flight crew and flight attendants are odors, fumes, or food poisoning. Carbon monoxide and toxic fumes during a flight are serious and often result in a diversion.
Recent Cases
According to InsideFlyer, four American Airlines flight attendants fell ill on October 3, after eating leftover passenger meals on a ferry flight from Dallas, Texas to Rome, Italy. It is thought that the meals were from a previous flight from Milan to New York and were over 24 hours old, and the aircraft had not been catered out of Dallas. The Boeing 777-200 was grounded in Rome for 24 hours before returning with a full crew and passengers.
According to Fox News, on September 24, an Alaska Airlines flight operating as Hawaiian Airlines from Los Angeles landed safely at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, and was met by medical personnel. The Airbus A330 had 252 passengers and nine crew onboard, of whom all seven flight attendants reported feeling nauseous and having headaches. This was due to an unusual and unknown odor in the cabin. They were evaluated by first responders and released. The aircraft was inspected by the maintenance crew to find the cause of the odor.
In July, an 
American Airlines Boeing 787-9 from Rome to Philadelphia diverted to Dublin, three hours into the flight, after an odor in the cabin was detected. The flight attendants reported feeling ill and dizzy. Paramedics met the aircraft, and they evaluated and released six flight attendants and one passenger, according to an article in People. The passengers were given hotel accommodation for the night and put on a flight the next morning. The odor is thought to have come from an onboard oven.
Fumes In The Cabin?
In July, a similar event occurred on an American Airlines flight from Rochester, New York, to Philadelphia, which diverted to Syracuse, New York, after passengers and flight attendants reported toxic odors coming from the cockpit. The pilots reported feeling nauseated, and some passengers and crew members were assessed by medical staff on arrival.
In September, two Delta Air Lines flights were diverted due to fumes in the cabin. On September 8, a flight from New York to Chicago O’Hare International Airport was given clearance for an emergency landing after fumes were detected in the cabin. The aircraft landed safely, and passengers were disembarked normally. The aircraft was taken out of service and evaluated by maintenance teams. The second incident occurred the previous day on a flight from Jacksonville, Florida, to New York, with an odor reported mid-flight. The aircraft was diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
On September 18, an 
Air Canada flight from Washington, DC to Montreal reported a strong odor when flying over Philadelphia. The cabin crew reported a suspected waste or lavatory leak in the cabin. 20 minutes later, the odor reached the cockpit, and the flight crew reported feeling nauseated. The aircraft landed safely in Montreal.
Further Incident
Simple Flying reported another similar incident in August, when four of the five flight attendants onboard fell sick. A Frontier Airlines flight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport declared a medical emergency, and their symptoms were consistent with a fume event. The Airbus A321 landed safely in Fort Lauderdale, and two of the flight attendants were taken to the hospital for treatment.
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In this event, the flight attendants reported feeling nauseous and having headaches. The flight crew told air traffic control they had a developing medical emergency onboard and that three, then four, flight attendants were sick. The landing was then expedited, and the medical teams met the aircraft at the gate. No passengers were affected by the event.
The return flight to Cleveland was subsequently canceled, as was the later Cleveland-to-Fort Lauderdale flight that day. The aircraft was taken out of service and remained grounded for over 36 hours. The aircraft would have to undergo a maintenance check to determine what was causing the issue. Furthermore, the four flight attendants would need to be replaced.
Procedures In Place
In the first case, if a flight attendant becomes sick or multiple crew members become sick, the flight crew are notified as soon as possible. A sick crew member can be released from duty and treated with items from the first aid kit, but if multiple crew members are feeling ill, they must remain on duty. If needed, MedLink can be called to speak with doctors on the ground.
The flight crew will speak with the airline’s ground operations, assess whether a diversion is necessary, and coordinate with air traffic control to land at the nearest suitable airport. If they divert, the flight crew will call for medical assistance on landing. If a majority of the crew are incapacitated and cannot perform their safety and emergency duties, the aircraft will be diverted.
According to this article, aircrew have reported symptoms of blurred vision, brain fog, headaches, tremors, nausea, and permanent nerve or brain damage in some cases. One flight attendant collapsed in the cabin and could not speak clearly, and was later diagnosed with a neurological injury.
What The Reports Say
According to an article on Simple Flying, fume or odor events are on the increase according to FAA data. This happens when engine oil, hydraulic fluid, or other chemicals are vaporized and enter the cabin air supply. Commercial aircraft use ‘bleed air’ from the engine compressors to supply the cabin. However, over time, components can degrade and let toxic fumes into the air supply. These events have been found to often occur during the descent of the aircraft.
Airlines and manufacturers say that cabin air is safe for passengers and crew and that many reported fume events are mild and transient. Aircrew may disagree and have called for more reporting, research, and stronger regulations. Crew have reported a rise in fume or odor incidents in recent years, with symptoms ranging from odd smells to respiratory harm and potential neurological issues. Reports suggest that the Airbus A320 has seven times the incidents of fume events compared to the Boeing 737.
The drawback is that crew illness can delay flights and strain staffing, especially on international routes, where replacement crew are unlikely to be available. Crew may have to be deadheaded out to take over flights once the aircraft has been checked. Diversions also cost the airline considerably, and it may also have to cover passenger accommodation and transport, or alternative flights. Ultimately, safety is the most important factor, and these kinds of events must be investigated.
Key Takeaways
Of course, flight attendants never want to get sick onboard and be unable to continue their safety duties, although it can happen. In this case, the crew member may be relieved from duty, and the flight crew is informed. In the cabin, the crew will work as a team to cover the sick flight attendant’s position. MedLink may be contacted on the ground for advice and, depending on the severity of the flight attendant’s condition, may be advised to divert.
Multiple flight attendants getting sick is usually due to an onboard ‘odor’, fumes, or food poisoning, and it is quite rare. Airlines do take such events seriously, and if the flight crew is affected or the flight attendants are unable to continue their duties, they may divert to the nearest suitable airport (with medical facilities). This decision will be made by the captain in conjunction with ground operations and air traffic control.
Fume events have become more common, largely because of how traditional cabin air systems operate and the widespread use of aircraft models such as the Airbus A320. After an event, aircraft have to be inspected to determine why the odor occurred and what caused it. Under the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, the FAA is rolling out a standardized, voluntary submission system for air carrier employees to log fume and smoke events. This creates a concrete data trail regarding the flight phase, duration, and medical impacts of the exposure.
