There isn’t much you can do when toxic fumes fill the cabin of the airplane you’re stuck in. But as a passenger, the smelly ordeal ends when the flight does, if not before. For flight attendants, it’s another story.
At American Airlines, the problem grew acute enough last year that flight attendants reported worker illnesses from such fumes to the airline—and were punished by their employer for doing so. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
