Airlines sued over blood clots

2.50 pm

MELBOURNE - An Australian law firm has launched law suits against three international airlines over blood clots suffered by passengers on long haul flights.

Lawyers Slater & Gordon said they were lodging three test cases in the Victorian Supreme Court against Dutch airline KLM, Australia's Qantas Airways and British Airways, and the Australian air safety body CASA.

The cases seek unspecified damages for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), often called "economy class syndrome", suffered by the plaintiffs.

"Now the world knows about DVT," solicitor Paul Henderson said in a statement, referring to media coverage and other publicity since the death last October of British woman Emma Christofferson, and warnings that many airlines have started to give passengers.

"For thousands of people this information came too late for them to take simple precautions or assess their health suitability for a long flight," he said.

Slater & Gordon had been contacted by 2,792 potential DVT claimants since the death of Christofferson, the firm said.

Deep vein thrombosis suffered by airline passengers has not been extensively studied. Airlines say it is not directly caused by air travel, and that blood clots can also form during long periods of immobility in cars, trains and hospital beds.

Airlines say "economy class syndrome" is a misnomer as blood clots may also afflict business class travellers. Late last year, many airlines began to show passengers videos on suitable in-flight exercises and to print DVT warning pamphlets.

But some researchers say the pressure in aircraft cabins can aggravate the formation of blood clots, as can the cramped conditions on board most aircraft.

Critics allege the airline industry knew of the danger of DVT years ago but did little to warn customers.

In June, Australian Anthony Sharp said he was trying to sue Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd 0293.HK over a blood clot that travelled to his lung during a flight to Dubai.

The three Slater & Gordon test cases include a South African, Debbie Daniels, who suffered brain damage from a cerebral haemorrhage after returning home from a honeymoon in Australia.

The other two cases are a 21-year-old Australian woman, Naomi Forsyth, who risks permanent leg injury because of a blood clot, and 55-year-old Australian man Lawrie Gillott, who collapsed on arrival at London's Heathrow airport.

- REUTERS

Feature: Economy class syndrome

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