10 Apr 08 US Airport Delays
I’m not scared of flying.
I do always have that feeling of apprehension in my mind that something might go wrong though, and I don’t mean with the airplane itself.
I don’t like the hustle and bustle of airports; being herded around from one line to another; the delays, chaos, and endless waiting. As I’m around 6ft tall, I never find flights very comfortable either -certainly not long haul.
Ok, so it’s not always that bad.
I’ve taken many flights where I’ve turned up, and boarded, left on time, got to the other end early and got through immigration/baggage reclaim/customs etc, without any real issues.
Now, as a libertarian, I’m all for Government butting out of people’s lives, and out of business, and getting rid of as much red tape as possible, and just letting everyone get on with their lives.
However, I am heartened to see that the F.A.A is itse’f being taken to task for cosying up to the airline industry over safety checks and that audits are now taking place that are leading to huge swathes of flights being grounded.
No one wants to be delayed, but I know I would rather be delayed a while, than not get there at all.
There hasn’t been a major large jet disaster in the United States since that American Airlines jet crashed in Queens in the fall of 2001.
Airlines must make safety checks as mandated, and the F.A.A must be, and must be seen to be, the policemen in this role, and there must be no excuses or leeway given to airlines not to perform these checks.
After all, what’s the point of having big Government agencies in the first place, if they don’t perform the tasks they were set up to do?
Tags: airline industry, airplane, airports, american airlines, american airlines jet, apprehension, audits, bustle, chaos, customs, disaster, federal aviation authority, flights, government agencies, immigration, leeway, long haul, policemen, red tape, safety checks, united states
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