A321 flight attendant reported dizziness and a headache from strong forward cabin odor which the aft...

Narrative:

Shortly after takeoff flight attendant 1 (forward cabin area) called to the aft cabin where flight attendant 2 (reporter) and flight attendant 4 assigned jump seats are located to inquire about the strong odor she was experiencing in her cabin area. Flight attendant 1 reported that the odor was so strong that she was beginning to feel dizzy along with a headache. Flight attendant 1 also reported that passengers in her cabin area was also experiencing negative physical symptoms from the odor. Flight attendant 2 and flight attendant 4 moved into the cabin to further assess the cabin and passengers. As we approached the forward cabin the odor was strong and a few passengers complained of negative physical symptoms such as a headache or a persistent cough.flight attendant 1 contacted the captain who said that they did not have any emergency indicator; therefore decided to recycle the air-conditioning. The process transferred the odor to the aft section of the cabin. We once again reported to the captain of the strong odor who stated that when the aircraft flies through a cloud the odor will increase with additional verbiage that the reporter did not understand. The captain also attempted to place the decision on the cabin crew as to whether the odor was critical to return to the original destination or to continue which the cabin crew refused to accept because the type of odor was unclear to make such a decision. The reporter asked every passenger if they were experiencing physical discomfort to which most reported 'no'.during the 2 ½ hour flight the odor was faint; but present. Cabin crew remained diligent monitoring passengers for any sign of distress. Upon descent the odor was extremely strong in the aft cabin. The reporter experienced an itchy throat along with a headache at the termination of flight route.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A321 Flight Attendant reported dizziness and a headache from strong forward cabin odor which the aft flight attendant detected also. The odor decreased; but returned strongly during descent.

Narrative: Shortly after takeoff flight attendant 1 (forward cabin area) called to the aft cabin where flight attendant 2 (reporter) and flight attendant 4 assigned jump seats are located to inquire about the strong odor she was experiencing in her cabin area. Flight attendant 1 reported that the odor was so strong that she was beginning to feel dizzy along with a headache. Flight attendant 1 also reported that passengers in her cabin area was also experiencing negative physical symptoms from the odor. Flight attendant 2 and flight attendant 4 moved into the cabin to further assess the cabin and passengers. As we approached the forward cabin the odor was strong and a few passengers complained of negative physical symptoms such as a headache or a persistent cough.Flight attendant 1 contacted the Captain who said that they did not have any emergency indicator; therefore decided to recycle the air-conditioning. The process transferred the odor to the aft section of the cabin. We once again reported to the Captain of the strong odor who stated that when the aircraft flies through a cloud the odor will increase with additional verbiage that the reporter did not understand. The Captain also attempted to place the decision on the cabin crew as to whether the odor was critical to return to the original destination or to continue which the cabin crew refused to accept because the type of odor was unclear to make such a decision. The reporter asked every passenger if they were experiencing physical discomfort to which most reported 'no'.During the 2 ½ hour flight the odor was faint; but present. Cabin crew remained diligent monitoring passengers for any sign of distress. Upon descent the odor was extremely strong in the aft cabin. The reporter experienced an itchy throat along with a headache at the termination of flight route.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1397234
Time
Date	201610
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A321
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Qualification	Flight Attendant Current
Experience	Flight Attendant Airline Total 25 Flight Attendant Number Of Acft Qualified On 6 Flight Attendant Type 50
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness

A321 flight attendant reported dizziness and a headache from strong forward cabin odor which the aft flight attendant detected also. The odor decreased; but returned strongly during descent.