Talking Points: Air Travel Safety (May 20,2016)

Talking Points – Air Travel Safety

Copyright © 2016 – Travel Leaders Group LLC. All rights reserved.

The following Talking Points may be used in conversations with the media and clients when discussing air travel safety. (Updated May 20, 2016)

1. Airline travel remains the safest form of travel in the world.

2. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

3. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

Below you will find additional information, supporting material, and statistics supporting each talking point.

1. Airline travel remains the safest form of travel in the world.

Despite the May 2016 commercial plane crash in the Mediterranean of EgyptAir Flight 804, airline travel remains one of the safest means of transportation in the world.

 “As we move towards the second half of 2016, it’s shaping out to be one of the safest years in recent aviation history,” notes CNN, which reports:

o “We are (favorably) ahead of the 10-year average with eight accidents and 167 fatalities compared to the average of 10 accidents and 205 fatalities,” explained aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas, editor of Airlineratings.com.

Pilots undergo rigorous background checks and medical examinations from drug tests and credit checks to mental health analysis and heart and lung functionality. There’s never been a U.S. airline passenger death attributed to a pilot health issue, physical or mental, according to a Bloomberg news report.

o Medical Exams of Pilots. Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, commercial passenger pilots under age 40 have physical exams every year and those older every six months to keep their certificates to fly.

o Psychological and Psychiatric Exams of Pilots. According to the FAA’s “Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners” Psychiatric evaluations of pilots, which occur separately from the psychological exams, must be conducted by a qualified psychiatrist who is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Board of Osteopathic Neurology and Psychiatry. The mental status exam includes a “thorough clinical interview,” and review of all records.

o Rare Occurrences of Mental Health Issues. Psychological problems are rare in pilots who receive their certificates. Commercial pilots fly tens of thousands of flights each day in the USA without incident.

o Flight Experience. The FAA mandates that all commercial airline pilots hired by U.S. carriers be required to have at least 1,500 hours of flight time.

 Airlines for America – the trade association for the U.S. airline industry – issued a statement:

o “The safety and security of airline passengers, crew and aircraft are the top priority of the airlines and they work closely with government, manufacturers, labor and other stakeholders to maintain the highest level of safety in the air.”

 

o “Aircraft systems are robust and all our manufacturers meet or exceed all applicable regulatory requirements for both physical and cyber security.”

o “On every flight, there are multiple layers of security and procedures in place to protect passengers and crew, and any changes to any flight plan requires pilot review and approval.”

o Boeing said its entertainment systems are “isolated from flight and navigation systems,” according to CNN.

CNN reported that Boeing also said that it does not discuss its planes’ design features for security reasons, but said, “It is worth noting that Boeing airplanes have more than one navigational system available to pilots. No changes to the flight plans loaded into the airplane systems can take place without pilot review and approval. In addition, other systems, multiple security measures, and flight deck operating procedures help ensure safe and secure airplane operations.”

 Airbus “has said it has security measures, such as firewalls, that restrict access and the company ‘constantly assesses and revisits the system architecture’ to make sure planes are safe,” according to CNN.

o Aviation security expert Jeffrey Price noted, “From what all the aircraft manufacturers have been telling us, the in-flight entertainment system is a different system from the software that controls the avionics, flight controls and navigation systems of the plane.”

 On July 24, 2014, NBC News stated that over a lifetime, the chance of dying in an “air and space transport incident,” as the National Safety Council describes it, are 1 in 8,357.

o To put that in perspective, by their data from 2010, you’re more likely to die from other less-expected causes including heat exposure (1:8,321), choking (1:3,649), in an accident as a pedestrian (1:723), a fall (1:152) or unintentional poisoning (1:119). Of course, causes such as heart disease, cancer and car accidents are also substantially more likely to occur.

o “The most dangerous part of your airline flight is the trip to the airport,” said aviation and national security expert Carl Rochelle.

 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s comparison of accidental death risk confirms that air travel featured relatively low among the list of alternative modes of transport. The DOT found air carriers accounted for just 138 deaths a year among the general population, compared with 36,676 deaths by motor vehicle, 5,150 by large trucks and 3,112 by motorcycle over a five year average,” according to ABC News.

o Actually, you are far more likely to die from poisoning (15,206 deaths a year), at work (5,800) or even being electrocuted (410) than in a plane accident, the agency’s research found.

 While the FAA sets the rules for U.S. jetliners, the United Nations-affiliated International Civil Aviation Organization is responsible for regulating international airspace.

2. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

We believe in providing the facts as we know them to our clients so they may make informed decisions regarding every aspect of their travel plans.

 We are advocates for our clients; and they know that by working with a true travel professional, we will provide updates on pertinent information before, during, and after their trip – which gives them peace of mind.

 

 Should we become aware of an issue with a specific form of transportation, we try to immediately contact the client to check on their well-being and work to assist them if they require alternate travel arrangements.

 Travel agents are trained to monitor situations that may impact their clients’ travel plans. As such, we also are in a position to work on alternative travel plans and have those in place the moment the need arises.

 Because we, as travel professionals, take care to thoroughly counsel and advise our clients on what they can expect, our clients are confident in the vacation choices they are making, including all forms of airline travel.

3. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

Safety is our top priority for our clients. We make certain to work with a select group of travel partners who take the safety and security of our clients as seriously as we do.

 Whether traveling domestically or internationally, our number one priority is always our clients’ safety and well-being.

 We closely monitor the latest news and weather updates, as well as the U.S. State Department website, for travel alerts and travel warnings for all destinations and all forms of transportation, including airline travel.

 Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure everything goes off without a hitch.

 We stand ready to assist clients who may encounter delayed or cancelled flights. If necessary:

o We will help our clients secure other flight arrangements.

o We will work to rebook hotel and car rental reservations.

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