Despite recent scares, most Americans say air travel is safe

About 7 in 10 U.S. adults say flying is a “very” or “somewhat” safe way to travel, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Even with such high levels of confidence, only 10 American adults have “good enough” confidence that the plane is properly maintained and free of structural defects. Only about 2 people. The other half “moderately” believe this to be the case.

The poll was conducted in the wake of the Jan. 5 crash at 16,000 feet over Oregon, when a panel of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner was blown off, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. The move grounded more than 140 planes and raised questions about Boeing's ongoing manufacturing problems and the Federal Aviation Administration's ability to address them.

U.S. adults have more confidence in the ability of airline pilots and air traffic controllers to keep aviation safe than they do in commercial airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and federal agencies. The majority are at least moderately confident that each is secure.

For some people who are afraid of flying, the Alaska Airlines incident has made them even more concerned.

“I don't like flying. It's very unnatural. We're flying in a metal tube,” reads the account of the jetliner crash, which did not cause any serious injuries. said Margaret Burke of Pensacola, Florida. “The fact that people are flying safely every day seems like a miracle to me.”

Despite her concerns, Burke plans to fly to California this spring, citing the speed and convenience of air travel.

“I have a 3-year-old and I can't put him in a car seat for three days in a row. It's not fair,” she said.

Even if there are maintenance concerns, U.S. adults have high levels of confidence that airline pilots and air traffic controllers are adequately trained and engage in proper safety procedures. . Just under half (45%) have “a great deal” of confidence in pilot training, while 38% have confidence in air traffic controllers.

About a quarter of U.S. adults have high confidence that air travel is safe from terrorist attacks or that government agencies have enacted the necessary safety regulations. Despite variations, a majority of U.S. adults are at least “somewhat” confident that airplanes are safe, pilots are well-trained, and regulations are adequate.

Maybe that's because, mile-for-mile, flying is much safer than driving, and safer than rail travel, according to U.S. Department of Transportation statistics.

Airlines officials and aviation regulators like to point out that there have been no fatal crashes on U.S. airliners since 2009, but a passenger was killed in an engine explosion on a Southwest flight in 2018, and in the past year The number of passenger fatalities has increased rapidly. The close call is being investigated by federal authorities.

Shelley Cohn, a former English literature teacher in Pennsylvania, thinks it's generally safe to fly — “I would fly” — but she doesn't think flying is safe. I'm one of those people who has only moderate confidence that it's being manufactured.

“I don't think anyone is going to release something that's going to kill people, but Boeing has had a history of problems,” she said.

Cohn is also concerned about maintenance.

“They recycle planes very quickly,” she says. “When it lands, someone goes in and vacuums it. I don't know if they check (the plane) any more carefully than they should.”

About a quarter of U.S. adults say they fly at least several times a year to travel long distances.

Frequent flyers are more likely than infrequent flyers to believe that planes are well maintained, safe from structural defects, and that air traffic controllers are well trained. You're likely to have a lot of confidence in everything, including that your pilot is well-trained. Government agencies have established the necessary safety regulations and are trained to be safe from acts of terrorism.

Randy Niedfeldt, a former physician's assistant in Wisconsin, has great faith in airplanes despite recent accidents. Her husband is a recreational pilot who checks the types of planes he flies, but he doesn't avoid certain makes or models.

“How many major plane crashes have you heard of?” she asked. “It would be a disaster if an accident were to occur, but it doesn't happen often given the amount of flying.”