Airlines Get Thorough Look at SFAR 106 Allowing
Portable Oxygen Concentrators Onboard

TEMPE, Ariz. (Sept 13, 2005) – Twenty-four airlines, medical professionals, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), equipment manufacturers and industry legal expertise all came together this past week to take a closer look at SFAR 106 which among other things, requires airlines to begin allowing portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) to be carried onboard flights and gives airlines permission to okay their actual use during flight. Prior to SFAR 106, which went into affect August 11, 2005, such equipment was expressly prohibited.

The seminar, hosted and organized by MedAire, Inc. (ASX Code: MDE), was held in Tempe, Ariz. and broadcast live via the Internet. It came just two days after the Department of Transportation (DOT) introduced a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) that would shift the intent of SFAR 106 from giving airlines permission to okay the use of POCs onboard, to requiring airlines to allow inflight POC utilization as well as provide supplemental medical oxygen to passengers at no cost to the passenger. 

“This special seminar provided the industry and all those concerned with this new rule the first real opportunity to openly and collectively discuss the medical, legal and operational implications of the regulation,” said MedAire president, James E. Lara. 
Some of the top issues raised during the 2-hour seminar included the quantity of batteries that passengers would need to carry onboard with them, guidelines for how to seat passengers using the POC equipment and what types of protocols airlines need to have in place to accommodate POC passengers.”

“MedAire is pleased to be in a position of bringing all stakeholders together at one time and one place so all can be better informed,” Lara said. “We’ve had opportunities to provide similar open forums for other medical-related issues affecting the industry in the past, such as SARS. We will continue to do so as industry issues and opportunities arise.” 

The NPRM which would require airlines to accept POC passengers and provide supplemental oxygen at no cost was issued on September 7, 2005. The public has 60 days to provide comment before a final ruling is made. Portable oxygen concentrators draw in ambient air and extract nitrogen which provides a more pure form of oxygen to be breathed in by a patient through tubing and a nasal canula.

About MedAire, Inc. 
Established in 1985, MedAire offers fully integrated health and security solutions including remote emergency assistance services, evacuations, training and web-based education programs, specialized resources such as medical and security kits and a network of western-standard medical clinics in Asia.

MedAire provides services to international business travelers and expatriates, commercial airlines throughout the world, corporate flight departments, government agencies, military and maritime operators. MedAire, listed under MDE on the Australian Stock Exchange, can be found on the Internet at www.medaire.com.

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MedAire Contact: 
Steve Holstein, Phone: +1.480.333.3700, Email: sholstein@medaire.com