Airline safety has always been a big deal. Airlines are graded on the safety measures that they take and they are rewarded as well as fined for not meeting the safety requirements that are set forth to them. While there are circumstances that may not be able to be avoided, procedures must always be followed to ensure the safety of all of the passengers as well as the staff.
According to airsafe.com, which is an independent fact gathering company, Qantas is the safest airline to fly who has boasted a fatality rate of zero for quite a long time now. The lowest rated airline is AirTran who has the highest fatality rate of 5.88.
There are several notable events that have blemished the perception that flying the friendly skies is merely a figure of speech. Here are just a few.
On July 13, 2009 Southwest Airlines Flight 2294 was travelling from Nashville, Tennessee to Baltimore, Maryland. The flight had to make an emergency landing in Charleston, West Virginia when a large hole opened in the fuselage. The hole was 14x17 and resulted in a loss of cabin pressure. The flight landed safely with no injuries or fatalities.
On October 21, 2009 Northwestern Airlines flight 188 flying from San Diego to Minneapolis. The flight landed over an hour late after missing its destination by over 150 miles. The landing was achieved safely. The pilots were apparently distracted by their personal laptops.
The fact of the matter is that flying by air is a heavily regulated industry and there are very high standards that have to be met. While there are incidents when compared to the amount of safe and successful flights, the percentage is actually very low. Airline personnel are trained to keep consumers safe. We can do our parts as well by observing all rules and following directions.
