Thai Airways International to place  medical personnel in-flight to help screen passengers

It was not that long ago that the airline and travel industry were debating how to make planes more secure and even whether armed officials should be allowed on board as an additional security measure.

Since September 11, a lot has happened and it would have been impossible to have predicted that only a year and a half later the airlines would be looking at an altogether different kind of security threat - SARS.

Airlines are constantly adapting their passenger screening process following their own countries guidelines and that of the WHO. Finnair is distributing masks in-flight, as is JAL and other airlines and today Thai Airways International announced it is to place medical personnel on board certain non overnight flights in order to screen passengers and try to help stop the spread of the virus.

THAI also announced that its Station Managers in countries considered to be affected areas are to coordinate with local public health ministries or the disease control department in these countries and arrange for public health personnel to assist THAI staff in screening passengers for SARS related symptoms, in order to accurately determine whether the concerned passenger will be allowed to board THAI’s aircraft.

THAI's Station Managers will also coordinate with the government function under the public health ministry or the disease control department of each respective country with a SARS outbreak, requesting the function concerned to issue an announcement to passengers planning flight departures from that country to carry a current health certificate ensuring they are fit to travel, before flying THAI flights.