I've taken my fair share of flights over the years - mostly in the US, but also in Europe and western/central Asia (think: Russia and its friends) - and even though I've never been the most comfortable on a planes in general, I've gotten on every single flight I've scheduled for myself, regardless of the weather, the airline, or any other "environmental" factor. But a Practical Traveler article in the NYTimes today got me thinking that maybe I should be paying more attention:
Does Low Cost Mean High Risk?
By Joshua Kurlantzick
Published: December 23, 2007
It explains the explosive growth of the low-cost airline industry in Asia, and how it's been a boon to business and the burgeoning middle class.. but it draws particular attention to the somewhat-shoddy safety record that has developed recently. It seems regulators can't keep up with the need for oversight, given that cutting corners is the (stereotypical) hallmark of emerging Asian ventures; initial capital is low, pilots can be under-experienced, equipment can be poorly maintained.. in fact, planes have been known to disappear, um, while in-flight. Quotes like this abound: "Currently, the European Union bans every Indonesian carrier." Of course, problems are not limited to Asia, but it certainly gets it's fair share of press coverage, given its emergence as a powerful economic force over the past decade or so.
It's funny, I read this just as I've never been more comfortable with the whole process of flying, enhanced security and all. That is, I literally go into a Zen-like frame of mind even as I'm heading to the airport, which continues until I've arrived at my final destination (even without, ahem, jokester friends hooking me up with large doses of anti-anxiety medication - as has been known to happen). Long lines?; whatever. Need extra screening?; whatever. Missed flight; whatever. Crying babies on the plane? whatever. Obviously I don't prefer these things, but for the most part they don't bother me anymore; they are all automatically filed under the "things I can't control" folder in my brain.
In any case, I'll keep the information in the article in the back of my mind next time I fly on an airline I'm not familiar with, especially if it's in Asia. But still, I see myself following my usual plans of "choose whatever flight makes the most sense from a timing+cost point of view" and not from a safety point of view. Does that sound stupid, given some of the statistics that the article drops on us? I think not, given that the real chance of an air catastrophe happening is still much less than that of an automobile accident.
Plus, when I travel, my "when in Rome" instinct kicks up a notch or two, riding packed local buses, front seating it in taxis sans-seatbelt, and so forth. I'll admit, part of that is a desire for a subconscious thrill, via total submission to fate. And somehow it seems to me - especially when I'm out of the country - that I've escaped from the trappings of "real life"; how can anything bad *really* happen when I'm on holiday? Of course, that's just my mind playing tricks on me, but, given that fact that nothing bad has happened so far, them's is sweet tricks indeed. How's that for broken logic? Knock on wood, for sure and forever; knock on wood..
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