EyeInTheSky
Veteran
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/12/16/13759/445
The Hidden Cost of Low Cost Air Travel
By HoppyCalif
From: Economics Table
Preliminary information about the Southwest Airlines accident at Chicago Midway indicates unprofessional flying by the cockpit crew. They landed in questionable weather, on a barely long enough runway, using non approved techniques, poorly applied.
Southwest is a favorite airline for many people, including me, for their low fares and good service, but those low fares always cause me to wonder how they do it, considering the number of airlines going bankrupt with higher fares.
Flight crew salaries are a major part of the operating cost for all airlines. It is well known that Southwest pays lower salaries than their competitors. Another way for an airline to cut operating costs is to hire less experienced flight crews and skimp on training. This accident provide some ammunition for assuming that Southwest does that too.
Modern passenger jets, such as this model of the 737 have many automatic features to make landings safer, from auto-landing systems to auto braking systems. News stories indicate that Southwest has chosen not to use those features, presumably to save the cost of maintenance and training.
I think a good question for all of us to ask ourselves is do we prefer to pay the minimum to travel or do we prefer to know that the crew flying our trip has been well trained, is paid well enough to attract well qualified people, and is flying an airplane in the safest possible manner, using all of the safety features of that airplane.
I am not a pilot, but I am a former maintenance employee of another airline.
You can add feedback below the article
The Hidden Cost of Low Cost Air Travel
By HoppyCalif
From: Economics Table
Preliminary information about the Southwest Airlines accident at Chicago Midway indicates unprofessional flying by the cockpit crew. They landed in questionable weather, on a barely long enough runway, using non approved techniques, poorly applied.
Southwest is a favorite airline for many people, including me, for their low fares and good service, but those low fares always cause me to wonder how they do it, considering the number of airlines going bankrupt with higher fares.
Flight crew salaries are a major part of the operating cost for all airlines. It is well known that Southwest pays lower salaries than their competitors. Another way for an airline to cut operating costs is to hire less experienced flight crews and skimp on training. This accident provide some ammunition for assuming that Southwest does that too.
Modern passenger jets, such as this model of the 737 have many automatic features to make landings safer, from auto-landing systems to auto braking systems. News stories indicate that Southwest has chosen not to use those features, presumably to save the cost of maintenance and training.
I think a good question for all of us to ask ourselves is do we prefer to pay the minimum to travel or do we prefer to know that the crew flying our trip has been well trained, is paid well enough to attract well qualified people, and is flying an airplane in the safest possible manner, using all of the safety features of that airplane.
I am not a pilot, but I am a former maintenance employee of another airline.
You can add feedback below the article