MD-82
Flight Crew Commercial
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
General Declared Emergency
Aircraft; Weather
While in cruise at FL320 we began to smell a burning electrical type odor. Seconds later; the cabin crew called the cockpit to inform us that they smelled it. We ran the Smoke/Fire/Fumes Checklist; and turning off the galley switch instantly stopped the odor. The galley switch remained 'OFF' the remainder of the flight. [Given marginal enroute airport] weather and with the odor gone; the Captain chose to continue on to our destination and I concurred with that decision. On our descent the odor returned. We declared an emergency with Center who gave us expedited handling with a vector directly to the airport. We landed uneventfully.
Smoke dissipated on its own; approach and landing uneventful.
When an electrical odor dissipated after running the Smoke/Fire/Fumes Checklist the flight crew of an MD-82 opted to continue to destination. When the odor returned during descent they declared an emergency and got priority handling to the airport where they landed without incident. The odor again dissipated during the descent.