Cleaning cabin air

THE spread of a new highly-infectious respiratory disease is reigniting questions about the cleanliness of the air inside airplane cabins and cutting into bookings for airlines flying into areas where the infection is prevalent. 

The Association of Flight Attendants has petitioned the United States Federal Aviation Administration to require airlines to provide masks and gloves for flight attendants who want to use them, and procedures for dealing with cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, as the disease is known. And several major airlines announced a sharp decline in advance reservations due to the war in Iraq and to passengers’ concerns about SARS.