A320 flight attendants reported a fume smell in the aft cabin; to which the flight crew took no acti...

Attributes
ACN	1545432
Time
Date	201804
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	PDX.Airport
State Reference	OR
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Descent
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Experience	Flight Attendant Airline Total 3 Flight Attendant Number Of Acft Qualified On 7 Flight Attendant Total 3 Flight Attendant Type 75
Person 2
Function	Flight Attendant In Charge
Qualification	Flight Attendant Current
Experience	Flight Attendant Airline Total 12 Flight Attendant Number Of Acft Qualified On 7 Flight Attendant Total 12 Flight Attendant Type 80
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

Narrative:

Right around the time of initial descent a fume like smell was noticeable in the cabin just after the over wing exits. It smelled musty and if around it too long it would make you lightheaded. A few passengers around the area also noticed the smell and said something out loud. It was an alarming smell. When I reached the galley I called the pilots to inform them of the smell and they dismissed it and said it was nothing. They said it was probably just humidity and that they could smell what we smelled and said everything was fine. I also informed them that passengers also noticed it and asked what the smell was and again they dismissed me and said it was nothing. The pilots did not report it or tell the mechanic when he came on board about the smell. The smell was definitely alarming and the pilots should take things like that more seriously. I've heard from pilots from other airlines that they have been experiencing similar situations and this needs to be taken more seriously. They said it is becoming more common on the airbuses and I feel that pilots should really be informed of the dangers of not reporting some kind of fume in the cabin. Especially if passengers are noticing it as well.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 flight attendants reported a fume smell in the aft cabin; to which the flight crew took no action.

Narrative: Right around the time of initial descent a fume like smell was noticeable in the cabin just after the over wing exits. It smelled musty and if around it too long it would make you lightheaded. A few passengers around the area also noticed the smell and said something out loud. It was an alarming smell. When I reached the galley I called the pilots to inform them of the smell and they dismissed it and said it was nothing. They said it was probably just humidity and that they could smell what we smelled and said everything was fine. I also informed them that passengers also noticed it and asked what the smell was and again they dismissed me and said it was nothing. The pilots did not report it or tell the mechanic when he came on board about the smell. The smell was definitely alarming and the pilots should take things like that more seriously. I've heard from pilots from other airlines that they have been experiencing similar situations and this needs to be taken more seriously. They said it is becoming more common on the airbuses and I feel that pilots should really be informed of the dangers of not reporting some kind of fume in the cabin. Especially if passengers are noticing it as well.

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.