In the air, health emergencies rise quietly

The death of an American Airlines passenger during a flight from Haiti to New York in February has cast a spotlight on the growing number of medical emergencies on commercial jets, a trend that largely has escaped public notice because airlines aren't required to report such incidents. A report by MedAire, an Arizona-based company that provides emergency medical advice to airlines, indicates the rate of medical emergencies aboard commercial flights nearly doubled from 2000 to 2006, from 19 to 35 per 1 million passengers.