What a horrible experience. I don't know if the OP flies enough to think about what type of air purifier she has but I'd think the FA should have been a little more sympathatic .


"Beyond that, I don't get wearing perfume or cologne on a six-hour flight"

Duty free shops. It's hard to resist taking a little squirt and thinking, I have another hour on this layover. After reading this, I'll never do that again.

thanks OP

<i>"I'd think the FA should have been a little more sympathatic . (sic)"</i>

What is it about FAA regulations and Jet Blue regulations that is difficult to comprehend? It's not like they are optional...or that the FA has the freedom to apply them or not at her discretion.

I am sorry, but the people who actually refused to remove their perfume with a supplied wipe were a* holes. How mean,, you were in distress and only one person bothered to do something that cost them NOTHING to help another human being be able to breath,, honestly shameful.

And I love wearing perfume, but in an enclosed area with someone I knew was suffering I would take it off immediatly if asked.

Selfish people , is this normal behaviour..

Me too justineparis and if a FA asked me to do that and explained the situation, there would be no grumbling at all. That's what I meant when I said, "the Fa should have been a little more sympathetic."

BTW, I don't think most people are that selfish. If it were explained to them, one may be a jerk but most people would comply.

True the silly steward could have made this all a non event,, but for some reason it seemed more important to watch someone have an attack then merely politely explain to those sitting near her the problem and asking if they could remove perfumes etc,, I think(well hope) more people would have complied if it had been explained to them properly.

Why does everyone want to take someone or some company to court.

Wouldn't you have realised before getting on the flight with so many people in close proximity that there would be people with perfumes etc that might cause an asthma attack. You sound like you were surprised to find that when you got on board

Sounds like the OP did realize that ppl would be wearing perfume, hence the air purifier

I too understand the airlines stance, even though I sympathize with the OP. It's useful information for others to know, so the OP deserves credit for alerting others. It does sound as though the stewardess could have been more helpful, and I totally don't get why the other passengers wouldn't remove their perfumes.

I believe if you read her write up - she asked the attendant to ask those around her to remove their perfume - the attendant declined to do so and the OP never made the request directly. Other travelers were not aware of the situation.

For those that asked, I did ask the airline, 48 hours in advance, if there was anything they could do. They said they could not unless I were carrying oxygen or a portable oxygen concentrator (POC) and if I had a note from my doctor. At the time I didn't think I needed either of these devices or a note. I never thought to ask about the tiny air purifier, since I'd worn it a couple of years before on another airline, and wear it often on buses, light rail, subway, etc. For what its worth, I don't travel that much (one flight every couple of years), and my allergies were not this bad, the last time I flew. In the almost two years since this incident the perfume allergy has gotten much, much worse.

Sanelson, I have nut and peanut allergies, and the reality is that each airline handles food allergies differently, just as they do your device. Furthermore, passengers are pretty selfish on an airline. I once posted here how I finally found the foil bags of tunafish that I could open without a knife or scissors to eat and people berated me for eating something smelly on an airplane.

One thing I would recommend is that you get a signed (preferably notarized) letter from your doctor stating your medical condition and the recommended medications/devices for treatment. If you are going to another country, I'd have a translation of it made.

Finally, the other thing I would suggest you ask your doctor is, are there medicines he/she recommends you take before or during your flight in case a medical device doesn't work, or if it isn't allowed. Check with him/her also about things like plain saline drops for the nose. I do this 2-4 hours before my flight.

Nothing I can add to some of the above comments above - but as a nurse I find myself fascinated with such a device. First, I have never heard of such a thing and after Googling it found many models on sale - since I did not even know what they looked like. A couple of descriptions noted they were not allowed on aircraft - still not exactly sure why.

But what I am most wondering about is how they actually work. Not questioning that yours is effective for you - only you can know that. But most indicate they are effective for removing particles from the air - that would explain effectiveness on general particle pollution like on a city street. But wondering how they work on gasses - which is what I presume is what perfume odors would be, since they do not seem designed or able to do that - some scientific sites stating that one needs a much larger type device to do that with technology that is too small to be worn around ones neck.

Always interested in learning something new - so if OP is still around, any info you could provide would help me do that - hopefully some sort of info from a source other than the manufacturer.

Hopefully you will get this worked out so that you can enjoy future travel. A letter from an MD will not be effective in revising airline regulations for you on a particular flight for 3 reasons. They don't let individual MDs write the rules for an airline. But more importantly, anyone can create some impressive looking letterhead and authentic-sounding letter on their home computer in about 5 minutes. Third, while this device is effective medically for you, that does not necessarily make it a recognized "medical device" in terms of the airline. These definitions/lists are rather short and restricted - and while this device serves that purpose for you, it is that way to prevent random people from calling anything a "medical device", getting a letter and taking it on board (I still remember the story from some years ago where a passenger demanded, successfully, that her pot bellied pig was a Service Animal. Things did not go well on board with a pig ransacking the plane galley in search of food)

Wishing you more successful future travels.

With all due respect, tuna fish is one of the strongest smells one could open on an airplane. Sat across the aisle once from a woman who had purchased a tuna salad sandwich and the aroma lingered the entire 3 hour flight. And I like tuna fish, just not on an plane, please.

Thanks for proving my point, socal.

Icepacks/gelpacks are not allowed through the gate, which would keep many foods I would bring safely cold for a long flight, especially when you think about delays, layovers etc. Some airlines offer foods for sale that are safe for me to eat, in which I buy them. Most don't. I could gamble with whatever it is they are serving, but then you might need to make an emergency landing to take me to the hospital.

Hey, I was not berating you, just offering up an opinion on a strong smell. What exactly was your point? Personally, I think perfumes and other strong scents, like tuna, brie, unwashed bodies, are all pretty much the same in enclosed places. Surely you can refrain from tuna fish on a plane ride.

I guess if it is a question of smelling tuna for the entire flight or making an emergency landing to take 5alive to the hospital, we will choose the tuna - however - how the heck are the people on this board supposed to know that tuna is the only snack 5alive can bring on a plane that is safe for her to eat? Most people can safely eat a variety of foods which are not smelly and can be brought on planes.

Could have been worse...could have been durian :)

In Singapore, you aren't allowed to even bring a durian on a bus. I bet they are a no-go on planes there too :)