Emergency responders met a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 in Fort Lauderdale after four members of its five-strong cabin crew developed headaches and nausea during the flight.
Four Frontier Airlines flight attendants were taken ill during a flight from Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale on Thursday morning, prompting the pilots to declare a medical emergency.
Flight F91046 departed Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at approximately 07:53 local time on August 13 and was approaching Fort Lauderdale when the condition of several cabin crew members began to deteriorate. According to Flightradar24, the flight was being operated by N706FR, which is just ten years old.
During communications with Miami Approach, which also handles arriving traffic for Fort Lauderdale, one of the pilots requested that medical personnel meet the aircraft at its assigned gate.
“All my flight attendants have headaches, and now three, now four, are nauseous,” the pilot told air traffic controllers as the situation developed.
The Airbus A321 continued safely to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and landed at approximately 1010 local time. It then taxied to its gate, where emergency responders were waiting.
Two of the affected crew members were subsequently transported to hospital, according to local reports. No further information has been released about their condition, and there have been no reports of passengers or pilots experiencing similar symptoms.
The aircraft had been scheduled to return to Cleveland at around 1130, but that flight was cancelled. A second Frontier service between Cleveland and Fort Lauderdale later that day was also reportedly scrapped following the incident.
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Cause Remains Unknown
It remains unclear what caused four flight attendants to become ill at almost the same time. Frontier Airlines had not issued a public explanation at the time of writing.
Several reports have raised the possibility of a so-called “fume event”, during which oil vapours or other contaminants can enter an aircraft’s ventilation system through its engine-supplied bleed air. Headaches, nausea, dizziness and irritation are among the symptoms sometimes reported following such incidents.
However, there has been no confirmation that fumes or contaminated cabin air were responsible. None of the initial reports mentioned smoke or an unusual smell aboard the aircraft, and no official cause has yet been established.
The incident comes amid continued concern among cabin crew unions and campaigners about aircraft cabin-air quality and the possible health effects of repeated exposure to fumes.
Frontier has yet to confirm whether the aircraft underwent further inspection before being returned to service.
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