First, why should YOU choose an airline? Aren't they all the same? Don't they operate under the same regulations? Doesn't the FAA insure your
safety? The answer to all those questions is: no.
Airlines are not the same; some have had many years to develop their training methods and facilities, to build maintenance facilities and train a dedicated staff of professional mechanics, pilots, reservationist, and flight attendants.
No, they don't operate under the same regulations. Some comply only with government regulations - when they can't get around them; others have their own higher standards.
Some schedule pilots without regard for anything but profit as if a pilot is a machine which can be operated most efficiently if made to work every possible moment. Others not out of generosity but because unionized pilots made it happen, have more humane schedules.
People tell me they can't believe airline executives are willing to risk a multi-million dollar airplane by pushing safety past the limit.
Consider JetBlues unauthorized experiment with extending their pilots' work day. See online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116138760170199478-PVlDcORp24oo0PKMJ3E7z0O7juc_20061030.html?mod=blogs
First, airline executives don't know much about safety; they are neither pilots nor mechanics. They are "bean counters" and management school graduates. We need "bean counters" and management school grads to help us run businesses efficiently, but they are not experts in safety.
Second, under competitive pressures to survive, management has been forced into extreme cost-cutting. The captain must retain the authority to accept or reject a plane due to maintenance. Anything else compromises safety.
The FAA cannot be relied on to protect you; the FAA is a political organization. When the FAA actually does something to promote safety, those of us in the industry are surprised.
When choosing an airline, there are several factors to consider if you care not only about the lowest possible fare but the safest possible travel.
1. Does the airline have its own maintenance and training facilities? Or does it outsource maintenance.
When an airline has its own maintenance, it means the mechanics who work on the planes know that when they or their spouse or children - fly on the airline, it is going to be on a plane the mechanic has worked on; that is a powerful incentive to do the job right. At present the only airline in the U.S. which still does all its maintenance is American Airlines
2. Does the airline have a pilots' union? If the captain has a union to back up safety decisions, the captain does not need to worry about being fired due to refusing to fly a plane with questionable maintenance or refusing to fly when too fatigued to fly safely.
Regarding fatigue, a recent study show that after only 17 hours of coninuous wakefulness, humans are able to perform with the same level of skill as a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent (0.04 is - according to FAA regulations - illegal for a pilot).
This is another good reason for meeting the captain when you board. Find out how long the crew has been on duty today. Also ask how many days the crew has been on duty, and how much rest they had at the hotel.
Do not fly an airline if you want to maximize your safety unless it has a pilots' union. When it comes to major European airlines such as British Airways, Air France, etc., all have strong pilots' unions.
Here is a list showing the amount of outsourcing (in terms of percentage dollars spent on maintenance) done in 2007. The outsourcing figures are from the U.S. Department of Transportation web site.
Airlines With A Pilots' Union
Spirit 18.9
Frontier 20.5
American 23.4
Delta 31.7
United 45.7
AirTran 48.4
Continental 49.2
Alaska 53.8
US Airways 55.0
Southwest 60.5
Northwest 71.0
Airlines Without A Pilots' Union (Not Recommended)
Allegiant 37.6
JetBlue 45.7
At the bottom, I'll paste something that an copilot posted on the message board who works for one of the new airlines which - though it has a union - the union is not a strong one like ALPA is, and the union has not been able to provide relief from the pilots being pushed too hard.
3. Has the airline been around long enough to have done enough flights for the statistics to be meaningful? Since millions of flights are done for there to be one accident, it takes millions of accident-free flights for statistics to mean anything.
Look at http://www.airsafe.com for statistics. If the airline is not listed there, the airline has not flown enough flights to have produced meaningful statistics. If the airline does have statistics, compare the statistics with airlines like American and Delta.
4. What kind of plane is it? We have had no accidents in the U.S. with "third generation" airlines. In Boeing, that means the 757 and higher numbers. In Airbus, that means the A-319 and higher numbers. There has been only one CRJ and BRJ accident involving passengers, but the accident was not due to any problem with the plane itself.
What about the MD-80 or MD-82 or 737? They have had accidents but have a very low rate.
5. What about foreign airlines? Major European, major Japanese, major Canadian and major Australian airlines have accident rates very similar to major Airlines in the U.S. Check Airsafe.com at http://www.airsafe.com.
6. What about regional airlines? Again check to see if the regional airline's pilots have a union.
7. If you are flying in some other area of the world, consider whether it is a country where you would feel comfortable if you needed to go to a hospital for a serious medical condition or operation. Consider whether it is a country where you would find technical expertise sufficient to produce good cars.
=====
First Item From The Message Board:
I am an FO with (deleted) airlines. October will be my 2yr anniversary. Let me shed a little light on this operation.
99% of our flights are out and backs. Does an out and back from ORD to St. Lucia sound fun to you?(11:50 block..15hrs on duty) We bring 3 pilots since its over 8. But most of the time we can't make it back nonstop. Gotta stop in Nassau for fuel so now that puts us over 12hrs which means, they will staff it with 4 pilots. The company DOES NOT block seats in the back for us. Many times you will find yourself sleeping on the cockpit floor (no kidding). Our schedules are a nightmare. 15 days off...yes.....days off grouped together...NO... You will find many times in your schedule where you will work 3 days, 1 off, work 1, 1 off. If you commute, plan on not getting home for 14+ days. Our Chief pilot has been begging our COO to run 2 more classes right now and he said NO. They will use captains to cover FO trips. He have pilots leaving left and right.
==========
So I hope this little educational effort is something you can gain from and use to protect yourself when you decide to fly.
Obviously if you know how to choose wisely, you will feel better when you fly.
I flew with the airlines for thirty-one years at a time when planes were not nearly as well-designed and well-equipped as they are now. I know literally hundreds of pilots and hundreds of flight attendants, all of whom flew several days every week, all over the world.
And yet, I do not know one single pilot or one single flight attendant - of all those people who spent their entire adult lives in the air - who was even scratched in an accident.
That is how safe it WAS. Now, when you choose a third generation jetliner flown by a reputable airline with pilots whose safety decisions are free of intimidation, you are safer in that plane than you are on the ground doing your own daily routine.
Yours truly,
Tom
Questions? 877 332-7359
If you want to get started dealing with flight anxiety so that anxiety and panic are automatically controlled, go to:
http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml and order the SOAR Course, or at least "The Control of Anxiety".</html>
Airlines are not the same; some have had many years to develop their training methods and facilities, to build maintenance facilities and train a dedicated staff of professional mechanics, pilots, reservationist, and flight attendants.
No, they don't operate under the same regulations. Some comply only with government regulations - when they can't get around them; others have their own higher standards.
Some schedule pilots without regard for anything but profit as if a pilot is a machine which can be operated most efficiently if made to work every possible moment. Others not out of generosity but because unionized pilots made it happen, have more humane schedules.
People tell me they can't believe airline executives are willing to risk a multi-million dollar airplane by pushing safety past the limit.
Consider JetBlues unauthorized experiment with extending their pilots' work day. See online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116138760170199478-PVlDcORp24oo0PKMJ3E7z0O7juc_20061030.html?mod=blogs
First, airline executives don't know much about safety; they are neither pilots nor mechanics. They are "bean counters" and management school graduates. We need "bean counters" and management school grads to help us run businesses efficiently, but they are not experts in safety.
Second, under competitive pressures to survive, management has been forced into extreme cost-cutting. The captain must retain the authority to accept or reject a plane due to maintenance. Anything else compromises safety.
The FAA cannot be relied on to protect you; the FAA is a political organization. When the FAA actually does something to promote safety, those of us in the industry are surprised.
When choosing an airline, there are several factors to consider if you care not only about the lowest possible fare but the safest possible travel.
1. Does the airline have its own maintenance and training facilities? Or does it outsource maintenance.
When an airline has its own maintenance, it means the mechanics who work on the planes know that when they or their spouse or children - fly on the airline, it is going to be on a plane the mechanic has worked on; that is a powerful incentive to do the job right. At present the only airline in the U.S. which still does all its maintenance is American Airlines
2. Does the airline have a pilots' union? If the captain has a union to back up safety decisions, the captain does not need to worry about being fired due to refusing to fly a plane with questionable maintenance or refusing to fly when too fatigued to fly safely.
Regarding fatigue, a recent study show that after only 17 hours of coninuous wakefulness, humans are able to perform with the same level of skill as a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent (0.04 is - according to FAA regulations - illegal for a pilot).
This is another good reason for meeting the captain when you board. Find out how long the crew has been on duty today. Also ask how many days the crew has been on duty, and how much rest they had at the hotel.
Do not fly an airline if you want to maximize your safety unless it has a pilots' union. When it comes to major European airlines such as British Airways, Air France, etc., all have strong pilots' unions.
Here is a list showing the amount of outsourcing (in terms of percentage dollars spent on maintenance) done in 2007. The outsourcing figures are from the U.S. Department of Transportation web site.
Airlines With A Pilots' Union
Spirit 18.9
Frontier 20.5
American 23.4
Delta 31.7
United 45.7
AirTran 48.4
Continental 49.2
Alaska 53.8
US Airways 55.0
Southwest 60.5
Northwest 71.0
Airlines Without A Pilots' Union (Not Recommended)
Allegiant 37.6
JetBlue 45.7
At the bottom, I'll paste something that an copilot posted on the message board who works for one of the new airlines which - though it has a union - the union is not a strong one like ALPA is, and the union has not been able to provide relief from the pilots being pushed too hard.
3. Has the airline been around long enough to have done enough flights for the statistics to be meaningful? Since millions of flights are done for there to be one accident, it takes millions of accident-free flights for statistics to mean anything.
Look at http://www.airsafe.com for statistics. If the airline is not listed there, the airline has not flown enough flights to have produced meaningful statistics. If the airline does have statistics, compare the statistics with airlines like American and Delta.
4. What kind of plane is it? We have had no accidents in the U.S. with "third generation" airlines. In Boeing, that means the 757 and higher numbers. In Airbus, that means the A-319 and higher numbers. There has been only one CRJ and BRJ accident involving passengers, but the accident was not due to any problem with the plane itself.
What about the MD-80 or MD-82 or 737? They have had accidents but have a very low rate.
5. What about foreign airlines? Major European, major Japanese, major Canadian and major Australian airlines have accident rates very similar to major Airlines in the U.S. Check Airsafe.com at http://www.airsafe.com.
6. What about regional airlines? Again check to see if the regional airline's pilots have a union.
7. If you are flying in some other area of the world, consider whether it is a country where you would feel comfortable if you needed to go to a hospital for a serious medical condition or operation. Consider whether it is a country where you would find technical expertise sufficient to produce good cars.
=====
First Item From The Message Board:
I am an FO with (deleted) airlines. October will be my 2yr anniversary. Let me shed a little light on this operation.
99% of our flights are out and backs. Does an out and back from ORD to St. Lucia sound fun to you?(11:50 block..15hrs on duty) We bring 3 pilots since its over 8. But most of the time we can't make it back nonstop. Gotta stop in Nassau for fuel so now that puts us over 12hrs which means, they will staff it with 4 pilots. The company DOES NOT block seats in the back for us. Many times you will find yourself sleeping on the cockpit floor (no kidding). Our schedules are a nightmare. 15 days off...yes.....days off grouped together...NO... You will find many times in your schedule where you will work 3 days, 1 off, work 1, 1 off. If you commute, plan on not getting home for 14+ days. Our Chief pilot has been begging our COO to run 2 more classes right now and he said NO. They will use captains to cover FO trips. He have pilots leaving left and right.
==========
So I hope this little educational effort is something you can gain from and use to protect yourself when you decide to fly.
Obviously if you know how to choose wisely, you will feel better when you fly.
I flew with the airlines for thirty-one years at a time when planes were not nearly as well-designed and well-equipped as they are now. I know literally hundreds of pilots and hundreds of flight attendants, all of whom flew several days every week, all over the world.
And yet, I do not know one single pilot or one single flight attendant - of all those people who spent their entire adult lives in the air - who was even scratched in an accident.
That is how safe it WAS. Now, when you choose a third generation jetliner flown by a reputable airline with pilots whose safety decisions are free of intimidation, you are safer in that plane than you are on the ground doing your own daily routine.
Yours truly,
Tom
Questions? 877 332-7359
If you want to get started dealing with flight anxiety so that anxiety and panic are automatically controlled, go to:
http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml and order the SOAR Course, or at least "The Control of Anxiety".</html>
