Growing concerns with the airline industry and whether or not you should be concerned


Greek mythology first outlined both the possibility and dangers of human flight with the story of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun, melted the wax from his wings and fell to his death. Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch of a flying machine expressed the continued human interest in flight and our desire to overcome our genetic inability to fly, but it was Orville and Wilbur Wright that made flight possible. While it is hard to imagine the excitement and fear involved in the first flight over 100 years ago, it is evident that these feelings still exist. A series of recent incidents have brought about a number of concerns with whether or not it is safe to fly, safe to land or even safe for airplanes to taxi at the airport. 

Most recently, an Air France Airbus clipped the wing of a small, regional jet at JFK airport sending the smaller jet into a literal tail spin and giving all 66 people on board a jolt of ground turbulence. Though no one was injured in the collision, it was an abrupt surprise for everyone involved and all who saw footage of the dwarfed jet as it twirled around. This happened just a week after the emergency landings of the smoke filled United Airlines Flight 497 and the emergency landing of the Southwest Airline Boeing 737 caused by a sudden tear in the fuselage.  As if this weren’t enough, the public also received news of the sleeping air traffic controller at Reagan National Airport. 

In reality, part of the blame for Monday’s collision is the discrepancy between the width of JFK’s taxi lanes and the 261 foot wingspan of the behemoth Airbus A380.  Though the emergency landings of the United Airlines and Southwest Airlines flights are disconcerting, the fact that everyone survived has been overlooked. 

When comparing the number of fatalities attributed to airplane accidents with fatalities from vehicle accidents, vehicle related deaths outnumber airplane deaths almost 30 to 1.  Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that traffic related accidents including cars, bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians totaled between 33,000 and 43,000 over the past 10 years.  Comparatively, the Aircraft Crashes Record Office shows totals between 770 and 1,500 over the same period.  While these numbers are drastically different and speak for themselves, there is always a way to tweak statistics to prove a point.

Airlines frequently utilize a fatality per mile traveled slant to emphasize the safety of air travel.  For every billion kilometers traveled, airplanes are 12 times safer than trains and 62 times safer than cars.  Conversely, for every billion journeys, an airplane ride is 3 times more fatal than vehicle and 30 times more so than traveling by bus.  If you slant the statistic to number of fatalities per person traveling, flight is trumped only by cyclists and motorcyclists.  All this considered, 95% of passengers in the US involved in an airplane accident has survived. 

If your fear of flying still persists, take note of the statistics and tips for surviving a crash. After analyzing seating charts and survival rates, Popular Mechanics determined that passengers sitting in the back of the plane have a higher chance of survival than those sitting toward the front. Though it is easy to zone out during the safety overview at the beginning of the flight, pay attention to where the emergency exits are located and how many rows separate you from these exits.  Further, wait until the plane has stabilized to settle in and nap since the majority of accidents occur at takeoff and landing.

Close attention to the details and statistics of plane crashes and fatalities show flight to be both a safe and efficient form of travel.  The unfortunate image of plane crashes and accidents resembles that of Icarus, falling from the sky in a ball of flames, but there are more incidents of emergency landings and delayed takeoffs that keep passengers safe than the latter fear.  Right now, the scariest thing about air travel may be its cost.