Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2014-08-08, 11:09:35 | version 1.32.01
Ú Medical health services further expanded The Lufthansa Group has seen a further increase in the importance of medical health services for its passengers. Demographic trends have played a role in this development, as people are living longer and therefore remaining mobile longer. The increasing need for clarification of medical issues presented by passengers and the growing demand for medical transports led to the establishment of the Passenger Medical Care division in 2009 as an addition to the Lufthansa Group’s Medi- cal Service. Requests for transport services specifically for sitting or recumbent passen- gers with limited mobility, for example, or even for intensive-care transports with the Lufthansa Patient Transportation Compartment (PTC), are becoming ever more frequent. And then there are the medical emergencies that occur on board. The central advisory unit is the Medical Operation Center (MOC). It coordi- nates all transports of medical patients aboard the Lufthansa fleet. Since July 2010 the MOC has also been managing, with its Special Service Team, the procedures for accom- modating passengers with limited mobility according to legal requirements and opera- tional necessities. With its PTC, Lufthansa is the only airline in the world to offer a flying intensive-care unit that provides patients with return transport and all-around medical care. In addition to the MOC, Lufthansa Technik also plays an impor- tant role. As the technical specialist in the Lufthansa Group, it is able to quickly convert seating in an aircraft when necessary to allow installation of the PTC. During flight, intensive- care patients receive medical care from a physician and a specially trained PTC Medical Crew Member. In April 2014 Lufthansa Technik, together with its partner company Aerolite Max Bucher AG, presented for the first time a complete model of a newly developed unit for transporting patients in passenger and VIP planes. The system has a modular structure and can be adapted to personal requirements. The first deliveries of the system are scheduled for as early as September 2014. Lufthansa is also constantly expanding its bonus program Doctor on board, which it developed in 2006. Under this program, previously registered physicians make them- selves available on board for immediate medical assistance in the event of a medical emergency. When physicians register for the program, information about their medical specializations is stored with their frequent flyer miles information under the Miles & More program so that flight attendants are able to approach them directly, discreetly, and with- out making an onboard announcement in a medical emergency situation. Lufthansa further expanded the Doctor on board pro- gram in July 2013. Since then, a special website on our homepage provides informa- tion on the program for doctors who wish to register. Ú Swiss—The first allergy-friendly airline In May 2014, to improve the travel experience for passengers with allergies, Swiss intro- duced anti-allergenic products on the ground and in the air. Adjustments were made to the cabin, and lactose- and gluten-free products were added to the foods and beverages already on the menu. This earned Swiss certification by ECARF (European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation) as the world’s first allergy-friendly airline, putting Swiss in the role of trailblazer for the Lufthansa Group. “Our customers’ need for an anti-allergenic travel environment has increased steadily in past years. In cooperation with the foundation ECARF we would now like to take concrete steps to address this need so that we can make traveling as pleasant and painless as possible,” explained Frank Maier, Head of Products & Services at Swiss. Ú A measuring kit for analyzing cabin air in flight Lufthansa is the world leader in cabin air quality research, to which it has a particularly strong commitment. This work is taking place in cooperation with unions, staff representa- tives, trade associations, industrial federations, and aircraft and engine manufacturers. It also includes developing technical solutions in the form of special sensors and filters. One special feature is the measuring kit that we have been using since April 2013 to ana- lyze cabin air. A partner in its development is the reputable Hanover Medical School. Altogether, a minimum of 50 tours with the Airbus A380 are planned for tests. Using the measuring kit on selected flights, Lufthansa will attempt to record changes in the compo- sition of the cabin air during a smell event. Preliminary results have indicated no notice- able chemical pollution, even during smell events. Neurotoxic ortho-tricresyl phosphates (o-TCP), in particular, were not detectable. “All in all, only a small concentration of organo- phosphates was detectable,” summarize the researchers. Lufthansa wants to identify and quantify substances that are potentially pres- ent in the cabin air and to optimize the objec- tive assessment of such events. ß Sustainability Report Balance // Issue 2014 // Lufthansa Group // 75