The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa provided a fresh reminder to travelers of the very real health risks they face around the world. Here at the ABACE show this week medical and travel risk management specialist MedAire (Booth P710) is introducing the 2015 edition of its annual Health Risk Map, which helps passengers and crew better understand what they need to protect themselves from on the road. The map indicates country-specific health risks in categories ranging from “low” to “extreme.”
Beijing-based operator Hanergy Jet Co. Ltd recently contracted MedAire to provide comprehensive medical and travel safety services to its passengers and crew. Hanergy is MedAire’s first client in Mainland China and provides charter flights, as well as aircraft management and ground handling services.
MedAire, which is part of the International SOS group, recently introduced a new Travel Risk Awareness e-learning course to better educate crew and passenger about how they can protect themselves from multiple risks while traveling. The course provides training on topics such as safety during layovers, how to make safe choices for accommodation and transportation, and dealing with threats such as violent crime and natural disasters.
Last year, MedAire launch a new app that allows business aircraft operators to get travel risk information on their smartphones or tablets. The MedAire Trip Ready app allows uses to search locations by ICAO airport codes to find updated information on factors such as health and safety risks, as well as an array of useful data on topics such as hotels and restaurants.
The app also features a conversion calculator for currency, temperatures and other measures, as well as tabs for personal notes and weather data (including winds, temperatures and visibility). Users can create their own dashboards with the app to highlight specific information and Notams for each destination on their itinerary.
Access to the basic app is free at www.medaire.com/tripready. However, user with MedAire Membership can get access to special features, such as notifications about specific events that might impact their itinerary or pose a threat (for example, natural disasters, outbreaks of disease and political violence). This will include specific advice as to how to mitigate or avoid these risks. The enhanced app also allows iPhone users to directly call MedAire’s MedLink global response center for additional support and guidance.
Subscribers to MedAire’s medical and trip risk support services also have access to the U.S.-based company’s Aviation Travel Security Briefs via Trip Ready service. This provides overviews of medical and security considerations for specific locations in the vicinity of particular airports and can be downloaded and emailed to other crewmembers and passengers. Trip Ready also provides a quick reference checklist to help crews deal with in-flight medical situations, as well as a summary of medical kits available on their aircraft.
