Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), the senior member from the Northeast on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, hailed the expected passage of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2009 in the House of Representatives. Championed by Nadler and his colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, this important legislation will improve aviation infrastructure, safety and efficiency and, through Nadler’s insistence, include provisions to improve cabin air quality and regulate temperature controls for airplane crews and passengers.

“It’s regrettable but understandable that delays sometimes occur on commercial flights, but it is unacceptable that passengers and crews stuck on those flights should suffer ill health as a result,” said Rep. Nadler. “These no-nonsense provisions within the current FAA reauthorization will ensure that no one – neither consumers nor airline employees – suffers from unbearable cabin temperature or hazardous air cabin quality.”

Among the provisions for which Nadler worked particularly hard to include are:

Temperature Controls: This provision requires the FAA to conduct a study to determine if temperature standards are necessary to protect crew members and passengers from excessive heat on board aircraft. There are numerous news reports about passengers stuck on planes, grounded for hours, sometimes in the heat, without fresh air and necessary supplies. The Association of Flight Attendants reports that many crewmembers have had to work in dangerously high temperatures during ground operations, sometimes for long periods of time and with no ability to obtain relief. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, heat-related illness can be severe, and can even lead to death, particularly for sensitive populations such as the elderly. This study will inform Congress of what options might be available to control temperature during ground operations or flight delays, and it will force the FAA to take seriously this common sense consumer protection.

Cabin Air Quality: This provision requires the FAA to initiate Research and Development on technology to effectively clean air supplied to the passenger cabin and flight deck. Aircraft in the current commercial fleet are equipped with an air supply system that recycles bleed air off the engines, and are prone to air supply contamination with engine oil and hydraulic fluids. There are frequent reports from crewmembers and passengers who have developed long-term neurological problems after documented exposure to oil smoke in the cabin or flight deck. This R&D project will determine how to remove oil-based contaminants from the air to protect the passengers and the crew from exposure to this public health threat.