Air travel is safe despite recent incidents: respondents' opinion
According to a new poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 71% of respondents believe that air travel is very safe, while only 12% believe it is unsafe. Overall, respondents are more likely to trust manufacturers and federal agencies.
The survey found that while Americans have a high level of trust in federal government agencies, aircraft manufacturers, and commercial airlines, people tend to trust air traffic controllers and pilots the most. 84% of respondents said they trusted pilots and 81% trusted air traffic controllers. According to the survey, 74% of respondents said they trust commercial airlines, 71% - aircraft manufacturers, and 62% - the federal government. This was reported by ca.news.yahoo.com.
The results of the survey came just after a door panel flew off an Alaska Airlines plane during a flight earlier this year. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered an investigation and banned flights of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft as safety concerns arose. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, two of Boeing's customers with a fleet of 737 Max 9s, have separately reported problems with the door stoppers.
The survey was also conducted amid reports of security errors and incidents in the skies and on U.S. runways. While no serious accidents have occurred, potentially dangerous incidents are more common than previously thought.
Respondents are more likely to believe that pilots and air traffic controllers are well trained and follow proper safety procedures than that aircraft are protected from design defects.
67% of respondents stated that they are confident in the safety of the aircraft design, and 70% believe that aircraft are properly maintained. The majority of respondents, 71%, said that government agencies have implemented adequate safety regulations for airplanes, but 29% of respondents said they fear terrorism or attacks during the flight.
According to the US Department of Transportation, flying is much safer than driving or traveling by rail.
The survey was conducted on January 25-29 among 1,152 adults. Its margin of error is 4 percentage points.
Earlier, TravelWise reported how to buy airline tickets at affordable prices.