Summer vacation is something most people look forward to every year.   The kids are out of school, the weather is great, and we want to get to our vacation destinations as quickly as possible so the fun and relaxation can begin.  Unless the destination is within easy driving distance, we will fly there.  Although it has been more than a hundred years since the Wright brothers opened the door to heavier than air powered flight, some people still board the most technologically advanced airliners with a fear that they may never return.

Everyday life is full of risks, whether it is crossing the street in traffic or driving to work.  How we manage those risks will determine our “survivability.”  If we cross the street only at a crosswalk and only when the sign tells us to cross, and if we drive at the speed limit and come to a complete stop at every stop sign, the risk is low and survivability is high.  If we cross in the middle of the street in heavy traffic, and if we drive 10 mph above the speed limit and coast through stop signs, the risk is higher and survivability is lower, but we have made a conscious decision that the level of risk is acceptable.  Travel by air involves the same concept of risk management, with one difference – the passengers have no control over the risk.  As airline passengers, we are trusting complete strangers to manage the risk for us.  Perhaps it is this lack of control that causes some passengers to approach airline travel with more fear and trepidation than an impending root canal.

The airlines must manage what are arguably the most severe travel risks.  If the airlines screw up, the consequences can be disastrous and deadly.  Let’s take a look at the types of risks the airlines must manage.

Pilot Error:  Every pilot must meet strict knowledge and skill requirements before the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) will issue him/her a pilot’s license.  Additionally, before a pilot is deemed qualified by the FAA to fly the type of aircraft operated by the airlines, he/she must acquire a “type rating” from the FAA in that aircraft, which requires a further demonstration of knowledge and skill.  In addition to the FAA requirements, which are minimum requirements for the pilot to act as “pilot in command” of the aircraft, each airline has significant experience requirements for a pilot to be hired.  Once hired by an airline, the pilot must serve an apprenticeship as co-pilot, before being considered for the position of Captain.  Even space shuttle commander Robert “Hoot” Gibson, who flew five shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut, had to start as a co-pilot when he retired from NASA and went to work for an airline.  But wait, there’s more.  Every airline pilot must undergo periodic flight/simulator checks to assure his/her continued competence.  Pilot error is a risk that the airlines manage, so that risk is low.

Mechanical Failure:  Every aircraft, airliners included, undergoes FAA mandated periodic inspections.  The inspections are based on both flight time and calendar time.  Engines and other components have life limits, which means they are periodically replaced.  Mechanical failure is a risk that the airlines manage, so that risk is low.

Air Traffic Control System:  Our air traffic control system is operated by the FAA.  Air traffic controllers have the responsibility to separate air traffic – making sure two aircraft do not collide with each other – and they work in an intense environment.  While the airlines have no direct control over the air traffic control system, they have input into the management of the risk because the pilot in command of the aircraft, the Captain of the airliner, is the final authority as to the safe operation of the flight.  There has not been a mid-air collision involving an airliner and causing death or injury since 1986.  The risk is managed, and the risk is low.

Weather:  The technology available to monitor and forecast weather all over the world is so advanced, that weather related accidents are rare today.  Severe weather can be avoided by advance planning, and by circumnavigation in flight.  However, some weather events, such as clear air turbulence, simply cannot be foreseen.  The risk is managed, but the risk is also unforeseeable to a small extent.

Terrorism:  It is the author’s opinion that the risk of a terrorist act occurring on a domestic airline flight is very small, but that terrorism is the most significant risk presented to air travelers in this day and age.  The risk is managed by the screening of passengers.  However, it is the author’s further opinion that passenger screening in the United States (and most other countries) is distressingly inadequate.   The gold standard for passenger screening seems to be the so-called “Israeli model.”   Although Israel is a declared target of the radical Muslim terrorist world, El Al (the national airline of Israel) has a reputation as the most secure airline in the world.  It should be noted that of all the risks that accompany air travel, terrorism is the only one over which the passenger does in fact have some control — every passenger has a responsibility to report suspicious people and suspicious activity at the airport.

The risks of air travel are well managed by the airlines.   According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, every year there are far more fatalities from cars, from trains, and even from recreational boating than from air travel.  Keep that in mind the next time you are considering air travel or a root canal.

Jerry Trachtman is an attorney with Law Offices of Jerry H. Trachtman, P.A. in Melbourne, Florida.