Qantas probes death from economy class syndrome’

OCTOBER 24: Qantas is investigating the death of a young woman from what is known as "economy class syndrome" on a flight from M...

OCTOBER 24: Qantas is investigating the death of a young woman from what is known as "economy class syndrome" on a flight from Melbourne to London, the airline said on Tuesday.

Bride-to-be Emma Christoffersen, from Newport in Wales, collapsed and died from a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in London’s Heathrow airport minutes after she stepped off the 20-hour flight from Australia.

Christoffersen, who had been on a holiday which took in the Sydney Olympics, was one of the youngest known victims of DVT, a silent killer associated with long distance flights.

Dubbed "economy class syndrome", it is caused by sitting for long periods in cramped conditions.

Doctors described the condition in her case as a blood clot which moved from her leg to her heart.

Her mother, Ruth Christoffersen, told London newspapers that a post-mortem had confirmed her daughter died from DVT.

Qantas said on Monday it is a condition brought on by immobility, not a condition exclusive to air travel.

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"We are seeking further medical details following the death of this woman who travelled from Melbourne to London," a spokesman for the airline said.

Qantas aviation health services general manager, Ian Morrison said the airline usually recorded one or two mild cases of DVT every year out of 17 million passengers, but had never previously recorded a death.