An enterprising flight attendant believes that a breath of fresh air will solve the problem of air rage
Brian Dunn/MONTREAL
Can a 15-min oxygen treatment prevent air rage? The operators of what may be the world's first airport oxygen spa believe that a dose of fresh air could be just what stressed passengers need before boarding a flight.
OraOxygen was developed by Suzanne Letourneau, an Air Canada flight attendant. Located at Calgary International Airport, Canada, OraOxygen aims to rejuvenate air travellers through oxygen treatments. The Calgary spa cost Letourneau more than C$500,000 ($326,000) to build.
At Calgary, up to six customers can undergo oxygen treatments at a time. Low-flow, low doses of oxygen are administered to the nose through a small plastic tube, at the rate of about 2 litres/min, says licensed respiratory therapist Len Koch who has given Letourneau technical advice. Administering the treatment does not require the two-year training Koch received to work with oxygen: "You turn the device to two and hook up somebody's nose. Not a lot can go wrong." The cost is C$15 for 15min or $18 if aromatherapy is combined with the oxygen.
Oxygen deficiency
Letourneau spent a year researching the idea, studying claims that air rage was linked to oxygen deficiency caused by poor quality cabin air. Medical experts have said cabin air is high in toxic chemicals and low in air pressure and oxygen.
The cost-cutting practice of recycling air in cabins began about 20 years ago. Coach class seats receive the least amount of fresh air - about 0.2m³/min (7ft³/min) of fresh air - versus 1.4m³/min in business class and 4.25m³/min in the cockpit, says Dr Vernon Andsell of the University of Hawaii. Letourneau says that about 95% of business travellers experience stress and tension from commuting demands, flight delays and congested airports: "Our intention is to redesign the traveller's time at the airport with an energising experience."
Greg Graves, OraOxygen's assistant manager estimates that repeat business is well above 50%. It attracts an average of 75 customers a day for oxygen treatment: "If a person comes in angry because of a flight delay," Graves says, "they usually leave happier after a treatment."
The overall benefit of an oxygen dose is more psychological than physiological, says Dr Patricia Young, a travel medicine specialist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. "The fact that a traveller sits down and relaxes for 15 minutes during a treatment certainly is beneficial. But there is no medical advantage. By the same token, there are no negative side-effects either."
Calgary signed on because it was undergoing a major renovation and wanted to be the first to offer the treatment. "When we heard about it, we invited them to come up with a proposal," explains Don Kolsun, director for commercial properties for the Calgary Airport Authority. Kolsun, who declares himself "sceptical", sampled oxygen treatment out of curiosity. "I tried it one afternoon before playing in an old timers' hockey game and my team-mates said I played like a 20-year-old that night. So I was hooked," he says.
Increasing availability
Before making a commitment to opening a spa, Letourneau says an airport wants to know which other terminals have them. Frequent travellers passing through Calgary want to know why OraOxygen is not open in airports such as Heathrow or Frankfurt.
That is about to change. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport expects to open an OraOxygen spa by late spring, and Detroit's Metropolitan Airport will have one featuring eight seats for oxygen treatments when its new Midfield terminal opens at the end of this year.
OraOxygen was one of 36 bids accepted for a retail concession at the new terminal because it offered something unique for travellers, according to Joe McCabe of the Detroit airport's concession department.
"We felt they represented what we were looking for. There's a worldwide trend to offer passengers health products, a place to unwind and take a shower, and OraOxygen's proposal offered all of that," says McCabe.
Letourneau plans a major marketing push this year, concentrating on expanding her network at airports around the world.
Source: Flight International
