Lawsuit Over 'Economy Class Syndrome'
S Y D N E Y, Dec. 11 -- An Australian law firm said today it was considering a class action against four major airlines it said had failed to warn passengers of the potential dangers of “economy class syndrome.”
Law firm Slater and Gordon said it would seek talks with British Airways, Qantas Airways, Air France and Air New Zealand before deciding how to proceed on behalf of about 10 people who say they suffered blood clots after long flights.
“We may issue a number of class actions against the airlines or issue individual actions,” Slater and Gordon lawyer Paul Henderson told Reuters.
Australian carrier Qantas would not comment directly on the class action but said it had been advising passengers for some time about how to avoid possible flight-related health risks.
“We have for over 10 years included in our inflight magazine advice on how to exercise while seated and also advice on just getting up occasionally and moving about the cabin,” Qantas inflight services general manager Paul Miller told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
Air New Zealand also said it had no comment while the other two airlines have yet to comment publicly.
Henderson said the class action could expand to include more airlines and more than 100 litigants after media reports today that his firm was planning action.
“We’ve had well over 100 clients contact us in the past 24 hours,” Henderson said. “This could potentially involve any airline running flights to and from Australia.”
He said each potential litigant would likely seek damages of at least US$27,000, though the amount sought could vary according to the severity of the illness.
Potentially More
“If the person suffered paralysis and loss of economic welfare, then it could potentially be hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Henderson said.
Deep-vein thrombosis grabbed international attention in October when a 28-year-old British woman died after a 20-hour flight from Australia to Britain.
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