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| AIRLINE MISMANAGEMENT |
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Kauai, Hawaii Date: Christmas Eve 1999
DEAR READERS At Anini Beach (near where I live) there is a row of trees along the shore. Salt water soaks their roots with the incoming tides, yet the trees are thriving and their leaves are shining -- scintillating, really. As I walk along the shore, I see that the roots from one tree are touching the roots of the next. Actually, all the roots for the entire grove of trees are intertwined as if there is only one set of roots. I believe it is true what mystics say, that all of us who share planet earth are connected at our roots (our souls). Soul talk and suffering is in the air this holiday season, with the remembrance of the mystic Jesus and his suffering on the cross, and news of the hijacked Airbus with 178 passengers and 11 crew. When I was a flight attendant we had hijack training. We were told that if a hijacker wanted to go into the cockpit (which is locked, but all flight attendants carry keys in their pockets), we were to block the cockpit door with our bodies and say, "No!" We were assured by airline management that the hijackers might then just sit down and listen to us -- because we were women! An intriguing concept. Meanwhile, it was very sunny today in Hawaii. Last week the weather ranged from heavy rain to more rain. The tourists were not happy last week. This week the land is greener than anyone has seen in a long time and the sky is clear. I felt optimistic until I read in today's news that the aviation industry is now trying to persuade the FAA to further degrade its regulations on airplane air quality. The present FAA regulation requires 10 cubic feet per minute of fresh air for every passenger for all aircraft built after 1996. (Of course, the majority of the world's fleet was built before 1996, and these planes carry no such consumer protection. Besides, there are no devices inside all aircraft to monitor when this regulation is being violated.) Nevertheless, there is a new proposal to cut the present standard in half. It is backed by Boeing and the Association of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning, which just last summer cut its minimum ventilation standard for commercial jets by a third from 15 cfpm to 5 cfpm. The airline industry is using the same successful strategy employed by the tobacco industry long after everyone knew that second-hand tobacco smoke caused lung cancer. The strategy? They simply say more testing is needed and everything is fine. Everyone who flies knows that everything is not fine. Getting sick after flying has become so common that people expect it and are resigned to it. The need for airline passengers to actually monitor the airflow is evident. If only there were fifty frequent flyers sampling the air on their flights with oxygen meters. On planet earth and in airplanes above it, when one of us pollutes the air, we all have to breathe that pollution. Doctors tell us that the quality of our air affects our thoughts, our health, our longevity. I wish you longevity, health and the bliss of noble thoughts this holiday season. Aloha from one of the least polluted places on the planet--and above it. Thanks for your interest in healthy flying. Diana Fairechild |
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FROM READERS "Thank you for all
of the info on flying. Last trip, one passenger passed out--an elderly lady
that they put in the aisle. Could it have been the no oxygen policy of the
airline? I will look for your book at my bookstore. Thank you for all of
the excellent advice on flying.-Larry Priebe "Thanks for sharing the tips about air in planes. I have chemical sensitivities resulting from a workplace exposure to formaldehyde which have greatly limited what I can do and where I can go. I did not realize that the pilot could improve the air on request. I look forward to your book on chemical poisoning when it is published."-Cindy "I think your book
and your home page are fantastic."-Norman Estin, M.D. |
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