BA to issue blood clot warnings with tickets

"The goal is to bring some accurate, sensible, practical advice. Ultimately, we have a responsibility to our passengers," the spokesman said.

The British Airways decision followed a statement two monthsago by a parliamentary committee that airlines should warn passengers that long periods of immobility can increase risk.

The issue of blood clots related to air travel, dubbed "economy class syndrome" after the cramped seating often found in airlines’ coach sections, hit the headlines in Britain in October after a 28-year-old woman collapsed and died after a 20-hour flight from Australia.

Nearly 20,000 people die each year in Britain from blood clots to the lung, about 10 per cent of which are related to air travel, according to Farrol Kahn, director of the independent Aviation Health Institute.

Kahn said he expected the number of reported travel-related clots to increase as doctors become more aware of the issue.

Blood clots can be fatal if they reach the heart or lungs, but travellers can take action to reduce the risk of developing them.

British Airways already warns travellers to move around during the flight, do in-seat exercises and drink plenty of water. BA said it would also warn passengers of other factors that can increase the risks of clots.

People who have just had surgery, women on contraceptive pills and people who are obese or have a history of blood clots are all at increased risk.

BA said it was also working to prepare posters warning of travel risks for show in doctors’ offices and travellers’ clinics. The airline has also set up a medical helpline for passengers concerned about the health risks of flying.

But British Airways said it would stop short of advising travellers to take aspirin, which thins the blood, before flying because some passengers could have allergic reactions.

Kahn has said that taking aspirin before a flight helps reduce the risks of clots.

"We would never give out that kind of blanket advice," the airline’s spokesman said.