This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ One Airline's 5 Weeks With a Medical Threat April 18, 2003 By MICHELINE MAYNARD On March 15, the captain of a Northwest Airlines 747 called the airline's chief doctor to find out if he had heard anything about a mysterious illness that had been discovered in Asia. That same day, an advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived in Northwest's safety and environmental department in Eagan, Minn., with the first description of the illness that has come to be known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The two events kicked off efforts by the airline and the unions representing its flight crews and ground workers to keep on top of the disease, which international aviation officials say could cause more damage to the airline industry than the war in Iraq. In the weeks since SARS was first identified, Northwest has begun asking passengers boarding flights in cities like Hong Kong, Beijing and Toronto whether they have shown SARS-like symptoms or been in contact with SARS patients. It has formed a crisis team that receives daily updates on the spread of disease. And it has instituted procedures such as wiping down ticket counters every three hours in cities with SARS cases and allowing employees to wear masks and gloves if they feel a need. Northwest's unions, however, are pressing for more information and greater protection. Northwest is particularly vulnerable to the impact of the illness, since it is one of the two major United States airlines serving Asia. (The other, United, declined to discuss its procedures for dealing with SARS.) Northwest is the largest United States carrier to Japan, which is its main hub for flights to the rest of Asia, including Hong Kong, where SARS has caused great concern. Northwest does not serve Hong Kong directly from the United States. Northwest is applying longstanding procedures for health emergencies to deal with SARS, said Kenneth J. Hylander, the airline's vice president for safety and engineering. "When you're running a major multinational corporation, you have processes and procedures to deal with any number of crises that might come up at any time," he said. "You drill and practice to those procedures. A flight attendant isn't going to do anything different in terms of isolating a passenger, whether it's SARS or a heart attack." The airline says it has had only one suspected case of SARS among its passengers or employees, when an 11-month-old baby showed symptoms aboard a flight to Minneapolis from Tokyo on March 30. The baby and its adoptive parents had begun their trip in Beijing. They were moved to seats away from other passengers and met at the airport by an ambulance, which took them to the hospital. The baby was found to have another virus, the airline said. That case appeared two weeks after Northwest issued its first advisory to employees, on March 17. Northwest then formed a SARS crisis team with members from its headquarters and managers from its offices in Asia. The group has a daily conference call, which typically includes a report from Northwest's chief doctor. There is also a daily e-mail message from Northwest's Hong Kong office on the situation there. Despite the effort to communicate, Northwest's unions complain that the airline is not doing enough about SARS. In addition to the airline's advisories, the unions issue their own notices to members, urging more caution than either Northwest or the C.D.C. recommends. A crucial area of disagreement centers on whether flight attendants and other employees should wear masks and gloves aboard flights within Asia. Northwest, like other airlines, has for the most part adhered to C.D.C. guidelines for airline employees, which say that under ordinary circumstances, they do not need to wear masks aboard flights. The advisories do not recommend masks or gloves when walking around cities in Asia, either, although millions of residents in Hong Kong and elsewhere are wearing masks as a matter of course. Northwest's latest advisory, issued Monday, told employees that they could wear their own masks if they felt it was appropriate. But the Teamsters union, which represents the flight attendants, wants Northwest to distribute masks and gloves, as some Asian carriers have. Laurel Rosin, a health and safety official with the Teamsters' Northwest local, said flight attendants might feel particularly anxious because they worry about being infected if a passenger with the disease gives them a drinking glass or used tissues to throw away. "We can't control coughing or sneezing," Ms. Rosin said. "What I'm saying is, we're trying to give our flight attendants the benefit of the doubt." Larry Pence, an official with the Airline Mechanics Fraternal Association, said he had to appeal to a senior airline executive before his members received permission to wear masks. "The last thing Northwest Airlines needs is for somebody to come down and be deathly ill or die from this disease," he said. Mr. Hylander acknowledged the employees' concerns, but said the face mask issue was as much emotional as factual. By allowing face masks, "some of that gets to the emotional side," he said, adding, "The C.D.C. has not said it is valid or necessary." Mr. Hylander said most flight attendants were not wearing masks, "but they know they could if they wanted to." Mr. Hylander said the airline's best protection would be its procedures for dealing with unexpected situations. "It doesn't matter whether it's a snowstorm in Detroit or SARS in Hong Kong or anthrax in Baltimore, or a strike by ground workers in Paris," he said. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/18/science/sciencespecial/18PLAN.html?ex=1051674465&ei=1&en=32ee6bdf47d6dc4d HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company