MedAire, known worldwide for its MedLink in-flight medical assistance service, is also the leading authority for crewmember preventative health and well-being, providing support to the crew of over 60 airlines worldwide, assisting with over 120,000 calls every year.
Airline operations have adapted to the new normal, and as part of that, health and safety support for crewmembers has never been more critical to maintain scheduled flights. In addition to operations running smoothly, comprehensive support has become an essential differentiator in attracting and retaining crewmembers.
After the crew leave the airport, they are just like any traveler at a destination. They want to experience everything from eating local foods or taking adventurous hikes, exposing them to threats they would not have at home. Who will care for them if they get food poisoning or break a limb? Of all calls on overnights MedAire receives, 20% are related to physical injuries, and 14% are for gastrointestinal issues.
Post-pandemic, the threat of potential travel complications, especially internationally, is still present. With recent upticks in influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID, knowing whether the crewmember with a cough is ok or will require quarantine or a negative test to travel is essential. In 2019, 2% of calls crewmembers made to MedAire were about infectious diseases. In 2020, infectious disease skyrocketed to account for 48% of those calls, representing 25% of crewmember cases today.
Medical issues are not the only threats to crewmembers’ health and safety; travelers are security targets. Why is that? Crewmembers want to experience the locale; they spend a lot of time on their phones taking and sharing photos, using maps to get around walking through areas they are unfamiliar with… those distractions create the perfect opportunity to be taken advantage of. Each year, security issues impact over 1000 crewmembers who call MedAire for assistance.
Mental and emotional fitness also affect crewmembers’ fitness for duty. After being home and other restrictions during the height of COVID-19, mental health has been at the forefront of most conversations. MedAire recommends emotional support consultations when in-flight medical events are particularly challenging or when crewmembers, for instance, report being robbed or assaulted. As a result, MedAire has seen a 50% yearly increase in crew cases requiring mental health support since 2019.
When considering your crew’s overall well-being, establishing services to support your crew when something goes wrong is not enough. Also, give access to training programs offering tips and techniques to understand self and peer mental health, self-defense, or first-aid.
Ultimately, training and support will give traveling crewmembers tools and resources that offer peace of mind while working. The five categories of cases mentioned above impacted over 60,000 aviation crewmembers; it is not a matter of if, it is when. Preparing crew for possible threats before they occur and providing resources to support them when incidents occur will lead to confident resolutions rather than panicked reactions.
Richard Gomez
VP of Aviation Products
