Flight Attendant Current
Physiological - Other
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Human Factors; Aircraft
While I am submitting this report late; let it be known that I began drafting notes on the below report on the afternoon of Date when the events were fresh in my mind. Please accept this report even though it is late. It would have been submitted in a timely manner but I have been consumed with caring for my health and that of my fellow Flight Attendants.I have a varied work history which includes [professional medical experience]. Before I was furloughed [on] Date and after I returned from furlough; I flew high time; however; I am an inexperienced Flight Attendant; as I only have approximately 800 hours of flight time. I find myself often relying on my recollections from training when I am faced with events that are out of the ordinary. In my short time as a Flight Attendant; I had not previously experienced a fume event. While I remember them being discussed very briefly in training; I feel that I was personally ill-prepared on how to handle the situation that happened to me and my crew on Date. I was in possession of a lanyard card from the union regarding fume events that I was able to reference as a guide during the situation; however; the actions the card indicated were not sufficient in protecting my crew that day. I believe I failed in my duty as a Flight Attendant to protect the crew and passengers in the incident that happened onboard Aircraft X on Date due to my inexperience and also due to incapacitation which was caused by the inhalation of fumes.On Date I was scheduled to work Aircraft X ZZZ to ZZZ1 on Boeing 737. At approximately XA:20 during taxi out after the safety demo Flight Attendant 2 Name and Flight Attendant 4 Name 1 called the forward cabin indicating that they smelled a strange odor in the aft galley. They could not describe the odor so I (Flight Attendant 1) went back to check it. I did not detect any unusual odor as I made my way through the cabin. In the aft galley I removed my face mask but did not detect an odor. Flight Attendants 2 and 4 indicated that they could still smell a faint odor but I could not. Flight Attendant 4 indicated that she had recently (within the last 3-4 weeks; I believe she stated) experienced a fume event and that 'it smelled the same.' Flight Attendants 2 and 4 indicated the odor was/had been coming from aircraft left; specifically the aft-most aircraft left corner of the galley. I took deep breaths in the area they indicated the odor was coming from in an attempt to detect it. They said it smelled like 'a dirty bathroom mixed with gasoline.' I did not smell anything unusual but they insisted that they did. I continued to attempt to smell the odor because I could sense that they were very concerned. I called Flight Attendant 3 Name 2 and requested that she come to the aft galley. She came back and immediately said that she smelled something unusual; describing it as 'hot dust on electrical wires.' I was still unable to detect any odor but I informed Captain of it via the interphone in the aft galley. I gave him the descriptions of the odor per the other Flight Attendants (FAs) and added that I could not smell it. He indicated that we had 'passed through a lot of exhaust from other aircraft.' I informed him that none of us smelled exhaust. I again relayed what the other FAs had smelled. He said we would return to the gate. I immediately returned to my jumpseat at the forward entry door. While we were still taxiing back to the gate my nose started running which was approximately 5 minutes after I had been in the aft galley. This was somewhat alarming to me because it was very sudden and profuse; and I became worried for the FAs 2 and 4 in the back. I called to check on them but I cannot recall what they said. We arrived at the gate at approximately XA:35; disarmed the doors and did the all call. At this point the order and timing of events is slightly unclear to me as I believe I was incapacitated to the point where my decision-making abilities were negatively affected; I am aware that we were on the aircraft for quite some time until at least XE:00 but I think it was closer to XE:30 when we deplaned. My sense of time was off from around XA:25 when I called the Captain to report the odor until after we deplaned. The event felt like a blur but I have recalled everything accurately. During this period of time I felt slow; like I was hiking at a high altitude. I was not thinking clearly. I had difficulty articulating the situation to passengers and I felt like I was at a loss for words; which is abnormal for me. Throughout the incident I recall the FAs 2; 3; and 4 having to sit in the flight deck behind the Captain (CA) at times due to lightheadedness; and they all appeared ill. I regret not putting them on O2 immediately and I regret not insisting they get immediate medical attention; especially for FAs 2 and 4 who both looked particularly ill. FA 3 also at times appeared glassy-eyed and like she did not feel well. FA 2 told us that she felt nervous and lightheaded as she was doing the safety demo; she had been in the aft galley the longest. FA 4 had also been in the aft galley for a significant period of time.After we arrived back at the gate and did the all call; I believe FAs 2 and 4 immediately came to the forward galley. I recall FA 2 sitting in the flight deck. She appeared glassy-eyed and her eyes were red and watering. She indicated that she did not feel safe on the aircraft. I told the Captain that my nose was running but that I had not smelled the odor. FA 4 and FA 2 answered the CA's questions as a report was filled out. Two maintenance employees boarded the aircraft. I relayed the information regarding the odor's location and description that the other FAs had given. I told them that I did not detect an odor but that my nose was running. They proceeded to the aft galley. Approximately 20 or 30 minutes after exposure I began to feel a raw burning sensation in my throat and my voice became hoarse. I indicated this to the Captain. I had the urge to cough but tried not to so as not to alarm passengers as they were still onboard; but I coughed several times onboard (also after we deplaned and on the way to the hospital; and occasionally still have the urge to cough). While onboard I started to develop a light headache in spite of having taken ibuprofen earlier that morning and again at XB:00 for reasons unrelated to this event. In hindsight I believe I was incapacitated as my decision-making abilities were questionable by this point.Passengers began to question whether or not it was safe for them to been the aircraft since the Captain had made an announcement about an unusual odor. I advised them that it was; which I now regret. No voluntary deplaning announcement was made. At one point; a Flight Service Manager expressed concern for us FAs; indicating that we looked like we needed fresh air and that it was unfortunate that we had to remain on the aircraft due to passengers being onboard and minimum crew requirements. More passengers eventually started complaining about still being onboard the aircraft. FA 3 indicated to me that she did not feel safe on the aircraft. I asked the Captain if we were going to deplane. He said; 'it's not up to me. They've got to make the call.' It was my impression at the time that he was referring to the gate agents when he referenced 'they' but I did not ask him to clarify. I was not thinking clearly and vaguely wondered why it was not up to him as he was the Captain. I regret not pressing the matter further and I failed my duty to keep the crew and the passengers safe. At one point a passenger asked for a snack. I did not feel comfortable going to the aft galley but I did not want the other flight attendants to go back there either because their complaints of their symptoms were worse than mine (they reported shortness of breath; feeling so faint that they had to sit down while I was comfortable standing up; and tingling lips and limbs; burningtongue; etc.; and I could see their eyes were glassy and watering) and they had been in the aft galley longer than me. I tried to hold my breath as I entered the aft galley to retrieve the snack for the passenger but I was not able to hold it for more than about 10 seconds which struck me as abnormal. Those passengers in the aft-most part of the cabin questioned whether or not they were safe being on the aircraft due to the odor the Captain had mentioned on the PA. I do not recall what I told them but I think I indicated that it was safe to be on the aircraft which I now deeply regret. As I made my way forward from the aft part of the galley; more passengers started complaining about being kept on the aircraft. When I returned to the flight deck I indicated to the Captain that the passengers had been on board (since boarding) the aircraft for over two hours without food or water. I again asked the Captain if we were going to deplane and he said he stated that the aircraft was 'going to be taken out of service soon.' I regret not pressing the matter further.At one point the flight attendants and I were the only employees at the forward part of the aircraft and I believe the only employees on the aircraft. I was nervous about this because I felt like no one should be on the aircraft. I called the gate multiple times but the line was busy so I called Ops again. I believe I told them that the passengers had been held on the aircraft for over two hours with no food or water and that we should deplane but I can't remember if I said this to Ops or to the gate agent (when I finally reached them after my call to Ops); or both. Either Ops or a gate agent told me at one point on the phone: 'Tower says you guys are going back out' or something along those lines. I did at one point get ahold of the gate agent and I indicated that passengers had been on the aircraft for over two hours without food or water. I believe he said that the Captain and the chief pilot were at the gate discussing the matter. This gate agent indicated to me that he agreed that passengers should have been deplaned as soon as we returned to the gate and that we had been held on the aircraft too long; and he stated that if it had been up to him the passengers would have been deplaned immediately upon returning to the gate. I again regret at this point not insisting the passengers be deplaned for their safety and for the safety of the crew. I regret not initiating an emergency deplaning which I believe would have been advisable given the state of incapacitation of me and my fellow crew members.Throughout this entire time all three FAs told me multiple times that they did not feel comfortable on the aircraft and that they believed passengers should not be on the aircraft. Prior to deplaning my runny nose resolved but my raw/burning throat did not. At one point I noticed my hands trembling slightly for no reason but I minimized this symptom and did not mention it to anyone. I regret not speaking up when the other FAs expressed their concerns to me. Eventually we deplaned somewhere between XE:00 and XE:30. We were advised that the flight had been re-crewed and I believe he said that there would be an aircraft swap. I then heard an announcement at the gate after we deplaned that there was to be no aircraft swap. I was gravely concerned for the oncoming crew but I wrongly assumed they would ultimately not take Aircraft X. I told one crew member that 'I didn't smell any odor but I'm having symptoms' as I walked by her at the gate but I did not have time to elaborate; as we were going to immediately seek medical treatment. I assumed that the aircraft would not go since the Captain had stated earlier to me that the aircraft was 'going to be taken out of service soon'. I assumed the fume report would be or had been filed. I assumed the new crew would not be put in any danger. I regret not staying at the gate and speaking up; and I feel it was my duty to try to protect the
On Date I boarded Aircraft X servicing route from ZZZ to ZZZ1 around XA:30 as the #2 Flight Attendant on a 737 aircraft. I got straight to work in the back due to the flight basically starting to board right as we arrived to have a delayed departure time of XB:07. I believe the original departure time was XA:00. I set up all my carts and did everything I needed to get done throughout the boarding process; we then armed our doors and cross checked and proceeded to go off to do the Safety Demo once we pushed back. It was at that time I started to feel very lightheaded and didn't feel too well. I ignored it and figured it would go away. Once we did our final safety checks we all sat down in our jumpseats and proceeded to inform Flight Attendant (FA) Name I was feeling light headed just so she would be informed. About two minutes later I started to smell an odd odor; the only way I could best describe it is a dirty bathroom smell mixed with gasoline. I wanted to make sure I was really smelling what I smelled so I asked FA Name if she smelled it and she did not. She came over to my jumpseat and immediately did smell it. We both wanted to be sure so we called back FA 1 Name 4; she did not smell anything and continued to keep smelling to be sure; she saw our concern and took into account that I was also lightheaded so she called FA 3 Name 3 back to see if she could smell it. Right away FA Name 3 did smell what she described as a burning electric smell. FA Name 4 made the call to the Captain and told him of the odor we were all smelling; he informed us we had just passed a lot of planes and exhaust; we informed him that was not what we smelled. So we proceeded back to the gate.Upon arrival to the gate; Captain informed the passengers that the flight attendants smelled an odor that was off so we would be returning to the gate. After we verified and disarmed doors and cross checked we proceeded up to the front. At this point I was extremely light headed and it had felt like I was moving very slow. FA Name and myself sat in the flight deck and answered all of Captain's questions that he had for the report he was filling out. At this point all four flight attendants were experiencing symptoms (shortness of breath; light headed; sore throat's; running noises and tingly lips.) we all clearly did not look well. For some reason we did not deplane and I regret not seeking medical attention when we got to the gate due to my heightened symptoms. I was pretty out of it so I wasn't really sure what exactly was going on between the gate agent and Captain. I do recall Captain saying he had no say on if we could deplane the aircraft (which was kind of a shock to me due to this being his aircraft). I did notice that passengers wanted to get off the aircraft due to them being held on it for so long without food or water. FA Name 4 was doing a great job handling the passengers during all this even though she too was having symptoms of her own. All in all I believe the passengers and the crew were held on this aircraft for two hours. I then with glossy eyes proceeded to tell the Captain that I needed to get off the plane due to feeling like I might pass out. At this point nothing was done to get us off. Name 5 from inflight came down and said he wished he could let us off because we clearly needed fresh air but due to FAA minimum crew we could not do that. I did hear that the plane might be going out of service but then I also heard from the gate agent that this plane was going to pushback soon. I informed FA Name that I did not feel safe on this plane and she said the same thing. We all got together and said that we would not be taking this plane back out due to how ill we have all become. Finally around XE:30 the gate agent came on and told everyone to deplane and that there would be a crew swap and an aircraft swap. As we got our bags to leave we headed up to the gate where we heard the gate agent say that there indeed was not going to be an aircraft swap and that did not sit well with me. FA Name 4 and myself quickly warned one of the crew members that were going to work the plane to ZZZ1 that we are all ill and going to seek medical attention; I also told her to please stand her grown with this. We did get in contact with that crew and you will be receiving reports from them that will describe what happen to them. At this point we are walking to go to the onsite clinic to get us checked out; halfway through terminal I grabbed onto the wall and almost passed out. Inflight manager Name 5 got me a wheelchair and told me to take deep breaths and we proceeded to the clinic. The nurse said to get blood work done we should go to the nearest emergency room. Name 5 tried to set up transportation from the numbers we were given but he could not reach anyone so we ended up taking an Uber. At the hospital we all were given chest X-rays; EKG and arterial blood work for carbon monoxide. FA Name; myself and Name 4 all came back clear since the incident had been so long ago but unfortunately FA Name 3 did still have carbon monoxide in her blood; she was then put on 100% oxygen for 40 min and more blood work was done until she was also cleared to be discharged. The next morning we went to catch our deadhead to go home and we all were clearly completely out of breath from just walking from TSA to our gate which is very abnormal. Date 1 after we all got home I received a message from FA Name 4 that she was back in the emergency room due to her heightened symptoms and that the nurse told her to go. The next day Date 2 we received a message from FA Name that she too was back in the ER due to stomach pains. Later that day I became very dizzy and was having trouble breathing so I called FA Name 4 and she drove me to the same ER she went to after I called the nurse and gave me the all clear to do so. I was put on a breathing tube to help open up my airways and was prescribed and inhaler; FA Name 4 who was with me also was prescribed an inhaler for her too. We are now all at home Date 3 resting and we cannot return to work until symptoms are completely gone. I have a note stating I can't go back until Date 10 and if needed to extend because not fully recovered the doctor will extend it. This 737 should have been taken out of service after seeing what it did to us four flight attendants. Instead they put four new flight attendants in clear danger. We did come in contact with two FAs that worked that flight and I will let them tell their own stories but at least three out of the four are seeking medical attention and one had to call off mid sequence for feeling so ill. It's a complete shame that this aircraft is still out there flying and will continue to fly and affect so many more people. A fume event is not to be messed with and I hope the company will do something about this and take this seriously.
B737 Flight Attendant crew reported a fume event during preflight resulting in extended flight delay and cabin crew being treated for physiological symptoms.