A rude attack on weather safety – here is what is at stake

At the end of July, the National Transport Safety Council (NTSB) held a three -day general listening session to investigate in January Air collision on Washington, DC Which killed 67 people. After the session, it was an inevitable conclusions.

Firstly , The disaster should have been prevented With the current safety rules. Secondly, governmental organizers responsible for air safety have become reluctant to enforce these rules, especially when this means defending industry demands for more flights and lower costs.

Instead of repairing the institutional cheese of the regulatory state, the Trump administration moves to its undermining. The crisis in aviation safety has finally reached its head specifically at the moment when the wrong people are responsible for it.

There is an old axiom in flying: the blood regulations are written. There was a lot of it. Between 1960 and 1990, More than a thousand people He died all over the world in commercial aviation accidents every yearAlthough flying sizes were Less than tenth to What they are today. The pilots flew too much. The safety of the cabin Ignored. Aircraft manufacturers did not know Essential. Pay innocent passengers price.

Since then, new safety and continuous improvement cultures have reduced the rate of fatal accidents By 90 percent. Safety belt bases prevent people from absorbing airlines in Alaska 1282 when a A section of the fuselage exploded in the air last year. The trained flight attendants evacuated passengers from Vigor Planes Twice this year without one death (despite the fact that in both cases, some passengers stopped recovering their manual luggage). The pilots avoided numerous Collision In the air and On the ground Since January 1.

Success in safety lacks the scene: it depends less on the personal heroism than it is to follow the rules. But it works.

When the rules are ignored, the disaster follows. The NTSB investigation was found in the above accident, Reagan National A. A series of problems Nobody costs himself the trouble of reform. The basic safety equipment has not succeeded. The pilots were unclear about the appropriate procedure. Air traffic monitoring was described and overcame the size and complexity of traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowed the movement of the helicopter to pass directly to the bottom of the aircraft to land in Reagan National, although this traffic scheme resulted in Thousands of close calls every year. The excuses were a lot, and the solutions are few.

“Sixty seven people died,” Jennifer Humandi He shouted during listening sessions. “Fix it. Do better.”

Her words are completely enveloped in flight safety today. There are a lot of critics, but a few of the problems of the problem. And as it asks the courage of courage, opposing the virtues of the post -director of the value of shareholders and freedom of companies.

Take the new FAA president, Brian Bidford, former CEO of Frontier Airlines and Republic Airwink Reality TV star The new ideals Sean Duffy PresidentAnd its president, Donald Trump). in spite of The public confidence in flyingIt has already started RFK JR.-STYLE Attack on the founding safety regulations just to make airlines more profitable.

During his confirmation, Bidford indicated that he was open to cancel two specific rules. The first requires a flight pilots to accumulate 1500 hours of experience before they can earn a Air Air Transport license (ATP). He – she Passed after Colgan Air 3407 crashed in 2009Which is attributed to Experimental error due to insufficient training. The second is the compulsory age of 65 for pilots. This was Determined in 2007 To match international safety standards.

Under the Star “Just asking questions”, “arbitrary” standards are called and not supported by data. He also said that they contributed to the experimental deficiency, and he was required repeat to Almost a decade.

It is wrong in the advantages: Multiple studies By academics and Organizers She emphasized that “the preventive effect of flying experience” increases with the passage of time, and that most accidents occur before pilots reach 1100 hours of experience. On the contrary, the experimental performance begins Tangible After the age of 63And pilots over the age of 65 years are at risk of higher than “”Effective events“This encounters 10,000 times more likely.

But it is less concerned about the facts, which is about disrupting the labor market in ways it has never been able as Corporate CEO.

Under Bidford’s leadership, the reputation was notorious to it.Very lower“Payment structure. In 2016, general where FAA Licensing a record number of new airlines pilotsIt was the Republic Many troubles in recruiting and preserving pilots That is Bankruptcy. In a competitive market, the Bidford strategy did not succeed.

But as a FAA official, Bedford can bend the market to its will. Removing watches will dump the market with new pilots who will get wages for beginners. Ironically, raising the retirement age will create cheap workers as well. Since other countries still have mandatory era limits, pilots over 65 years old will not be able to do so International roads fly. Instead, they can only accept low -wage domestic roads on smaller aircraft. Either the two jurisprudence will effectively create the reduction of wages at the level of industry through the organization- Trump’s favorite trick.

It is not surprising that the pilots themselves oppose both proposals. Less than five percent of the pilots Support the minimum age of the past age 65, or completely remove it. Chelsea “Sole”, Solinberger, a pilot of “Miracle on Hudson”, bombed Bidford for his position at a base of 1500 hours for its safety.

“Bryan Bedford for FAA exhibits the integrity of our aviation safety system in extreme danger,” Books in the Instagram post. “Bidford indicated that he would reduce regulations and allow airlines to organize themselves. That’s crazy.”

Despite these objections, Bidford was confirmed by A. 53-43 voting. This was Narrower For any FAA official in history; Most officials, including his direct predecessor, Michael Whitaker, have been confirmed unanimously.

The airlines have taken his exciting setting as a sign that the “minimum” safety regulations can now be reduced to a minimum.

In June, US Airways obtained approval to reduce their flight levels On some of its new aircraft 787-9. The US -based airlines usually set a sufficient number of those present so that each one can cover one emergency exit in the event of evacuation. In this reduced scheme, one flight host will be responsible for each of the emergency exits in the back of the economic degree – a section of the plane Seats up to 124 passengers.

Sarah Nelson, which represents 55,000 a flight lecture in 20 airlines as an international president of the CWA Airlines Association, said that employment guidelines have been identified Half a century ago It has not been touched since then.

“We have an organizational agency that did not keep pace with the facts of the cabin.” freedom. “Seats are closer together, more people on board the plane more than ever, and more complications in the cabin.”

Air flight attendants should also perform a wide range of emergency duties, from using fibrillation to monitor potential security threats. As the first respondents to fly, it is extended to the capacity as it is. Reducing its levels below minimal will make almost impossible to perform their functions.

Ultimately, Nelson is not only about one plane type. It is about a precedent. Historically, as soon as a major airline reduces employees, Wall Street demands that Others quickly follow the example In order to reduce costs. If the entire industry follows the progress of Americans, it will be the clearest indication so far that those in power are more interested in the datir margins than they do about the safety of passengers.

To be clear, perhaps the organizational decline will not cause more planes from the sky. But it will create real risks.

These risks may look Aeroflot 1492 In 2019, when the evacuation was slowed than expected to 41 deaths. Or it may look like unorganized and delay reaction To India 171 crash from India Severe staff Air organizer, which allowed Wrong information and Conspiracy theories For spreading. Or it may look like high -fatigue rates between Pilotsand Air flight attendantsAnd Air traffic monitors Who must replace the individual effort of hollow institutions that no longer support.

In short, the attack on the regulations will reduce the safety margin everywhere, and the erosion of confidence in air travel – all of this in order to leave the industry its margins.

Nelson says this is ready to give up safety standards in the name of profits is wrong for flying.

“It is constant pressure and a downward cycle. It is shocking, but it is not surprising.”