Anne Landman's Collection
In Flight Air Quality Tests (IFAQ) on Nordic - Based Airlines
Abstract
This memo from Philip Morris (PM) shows the company's behind-the-scenes activities to combat voluntary and legislated smoking bans on northern European airlines in the late 1980s.
"OBJECTIVE: Persuade the management of airlines to adopt policies which permit smokers to enjoy cigarettes during flights."
The strategy was to get airline management to defer the bans while the tobacco industry's nonprofit front organization, the supposedly independent Center for Indoor Air Research (CIAR) performed "studies" of in-flight indoor air quality. The "research" (the outcome of which was evidently pre-determined) was to be paid for by CIAR so "CIAR then can be correctly named as a sponsor of the research--which will diminish the effectiveness of the anti's PR efforts to challenge the credibility of the research." The results of the "studies" of in-flight air quality would then be shopped around to strategic media targets:
"Via ETS Whitecoats, the results of this IFAQ [In-flight Air Quality] research should be published in airline trade press and scientific/medical journals in the Nordic countries."
NOTE: "ETS Whitecoats" were part of Philip Morris' "Whitecoat Project," through which PM screened and recruited a worldwide stable of scientific witnesses who were paid by the tobacco industry to make pro-industry comments on secondhand smoke issues. Their work was "filtered" by industry attorneys to assure it agreed with industry positions.
Other tobacco industry tactics for fighting in-flight smoking bans included
"...Organize a direct mail campaign to stimulate letters, postcards and telephone calls to Finnair urging that smokers be permitted to smoke cigarettes on Finnair flgiths. This campaign should target Finnish tobacco company managers, union/employees & shareholders. Wholesalers and retailers should also be asked to participate...[W]e should consider discussing in advance with Finnair's CEO, Mr. Potila, this 'market research.' "
It is striking to note that the tobacco industry portrays itself as an advocate of "free choice," while behind the scenes they work to combat voluntary smoking bans.
User-Contributed Notes
Fields
- Quotes
FINNAIR INTRODUCED SMOKING AND NON-SMOKING SECTIONS ON FLIGHTS DURING THE 50s (& CLAIMS TO BE THE FIRST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD TO DO SO). IN '86 LINJEFLYG, A SWEDISH AIRLINE, BANNED SMOKING ON ALL DOMESTIC FLIGHTS. THE NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENT'S ADOPTION OF BILL 27 WILL CAUSE SMOKING TO BE BANNED ON ALL DOMESTIC FLIGHTS, PROBABLY THIS SUMMER.
FINNAIR MANAGEMENT HAS INDICATED THAT THEY WILL BAN SMOKING LATER THIS YEAR ON ALL DOMESTIC FLIGHTS AND ONLY ALLOW "SMOKING BREAKS" ON INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS. SAS EMPLOYEES INDICATE SAS WILL BAN SMOKING ON DOMESTIC SWEDISH FLIGHTS. SAS' CHARTER COMPANY, SCANAIR, IS DEVELOPING PLANS TO OFFER "SMOKE FREE" CHARTER FLIGHTS DURING THE WINTER OF '88-'89.
OBJECTIVE:
PERSUADE THE MANAGEMENT OF AIRLINES TO ADOPT POLICIES WHICH PERMIT SMOKERS TO ENJOY CIGARETTES DURING FLIGHTS.
STRATEGY:
THE PRINCIPAL TARGET AUDIENCES OF THIS STRATEGY ARE: AIRLINE MANAGEMENT, PILOTS AND CABIN ATTENDANTS, AND PASSENGERS.
PERSUADE FINNAIR AND SCANAIR AIRLINE MANAGEMENT TO DEFER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BANS/ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS WHILE IFAQ STUDIES ARE BEING CONDUCTED ON THEIR AIRLINES. THESE STUDIES, TOGETHER WITH THE JAL & PIEDMONT STUDIES, SHOULD PROVIDE A SOUND BASIS FOR A RATIONAL DISCUSSION ABOUT AIR QUALITY IN FLIGHT. AN ACTIVE EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO CONDUCT THESE STUDIES IN COOPERATION WITH THE RELEVANT PILOT/CABIN ATTENDANT ASSOCIATIONS & THE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT ATTENDANTS'ASSOCIATION (IFAA).
VIA ETS WHITECOATS, THE RESULTS OF THIS IFAQ RESEARCH SHOULD BE PUBLISHED IN AIRLINE TRADE PRESS & SCIENTIFIC/MEDICAL JOURNALS IN THE NORDIC COUNTRIES.
ORGANIZE A DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN IN FINLAND TO STIMULATE LETTERS, POSTCARDS AND TELEPHONE CALLS TO FINNAIR URGING THAT SMOKERS BE PERMITTED TO SMOKE CIGARETTES ON FINNAIR FLIGHTS. THIS CAMPAIGN SHOULD TARGET FINNISH TOBACCO COMPANY MANAGERS, UNIONS/EMPLOYEES, $ SHAREHOLDERS. WHOLESALERS $ RETAILERS SHOULD ALSO BE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE. THE TONE OF THIS CAMPAIGN SHOULD NOT BE AN ATTACK AGAINST FINNAIR, BUT RATHER AN EXPRESSION OF FINNISH OPINION FOR SMOKERS IN FLIGHT. [W]E SHOULD CONSIDER DISCUSSING IN ADVANCE WITH FINNAIR'S CEO, MR. POTILA, THIS "MARKET RESEARCH."...
FINANCING
THE OFFICIAL FUNDING OF IFAQ RESEARCH CAN BE THE CENTER FOR INDOOR RESEARCH (CIAR) IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THERE ARE TWO BENEFITS FROM THIS VEHICLE, NAMELY ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO FUND THE RESEARCH CAN BE PROCESSED BY CIAR STAFF; CIAR CAN THEN BE CORRECTLY NAMED AS A SPONSOR OF THE RESEARCH - WHICH WILL DIMINISH THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIS PR EFFORTS TO CHALLENGE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE RESEARCH...
..TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, IT'S ADVISABLE TO USE GOVERNMENT & SEMI-GOVERNMENTAL LABORATORIES TO CONDUCT IFAQ RESEARCH, AS THIS FACTOR WILL ENHANCE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE RESEARCH.
- Company
- Philip Morris site
- Author
- SCC
- Recipient
- Unknown
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