On an annual basis the statistics boil down to 17,000 sick or injured air travelers in 2007. Almost 80 died while airborne, similar to what happened to a Brooklyn nurse who passed away on an American Airline flight in February.
The bulk of air sickness were neurological ailments such as fainting or seizures, according to MedAire, which provides medical services to 74 domestic and international air carriers.
The rise in such incidents were caused mainly by two factors. First was the growing number of mature passengers, mostly baby boomers who continued traveling despite adding years. Second was the average length of flights expanding from 1,233 miles in 2000 to 1,347 by 2006.
Because of more sicknesses which came out while airborne, the number of emergency landings have also grown, said Joan Sullivan Garrett, chairman of MedAire. Falling ill while 35,000 feet up in the air is a very stressful experience, added David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.
Data from other sources of in-flight medical incidents showed that there were more fatalities arising from airborne medical emergencies than plane accidents. And 83 percent of in-flight deaths were among travelers over 50 years old.
