Perception of regional aircraft safety overshadows statistics
Just about everyone has heard a friend or relative declare it: “I wouldn’t fly on one of those little airplanes for anything.”
And as hearings that focus on the Feb. 12 crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence Center begin today in Washington, D. C., even more air travelers are likely to express their opinions about the pluses and minuses of small, regional aircraft.
But as regional jet and turboprop aircraft establish themselves more and more at airports across the country, evidence shows the apprehension to be more anecdotal than rooted in hard numbers.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airlines Association in Washington. “Still, there is this perception. It’s incredibly frustrating for me, and I came out of a mainline [aviation industry] background.”
A number of factors reflect how frequently travelers are using smaller planes, including:
• Colgan Airlines, which operated the doomed Flight 3407 for Continental Express, noted a 15 percent increase in the number of passengers for March, immediately after its crash in Clarence Center, according to the Memphis Business Journal.
• The New York Times reported last week that passenger totals on regional airlines have grown by 40 percent since 2003, as airlines increasingly rely on them in a slowing economy.
• Regional aircraft comprise half of all U. S. flights and carry 23 percent of passengers, with about three-quarters of U. S. airports now served exclusively by such airplanes, according to the Regional Airline Association.
• The same association reports that 58 percent of flights serving Buffalo Niagara International Airport are now serviced by regional aircraft, though not all are propeller-driven.
Part of the perception problem, Cohen said, stems from the fact that companies such as Colgan are responsible mainly for operation and safety, while marketing falls to mainline partners such as Continental. The operating companies don’t market safety records, he said.
“Aircraft accidents are so rare,” Cohen said. “There’s been an incredible growth of this industry in the last couple of years, and we are part of the record-setting period of 2z years with no accidents. That somehow gets lost in there.”
Still, local travel agents acknowledge that some clients are more apprehensive after the February crash that claimed 50 lives, the worst air disaster in local history. They say prospective passengers often ask the question, “Is it a jet or one of those prop jobs?”
“I have had clients say flat-out: ‘I would prefer a regional jet,’ ” said Ron Luczak, marketing director for Travel Team of Buffalo.
But he noted that with smaller aircraft becoming more prevalent because of their efficiency in serving some cities, many travelers often face no choice. He said that some clients have a “more cognizant mind-set of perceived deficiencies” since the Feb. 12 crash but that they fall into one of two categories: They simply won’t fly smaller planes, or they don’t care.
Nevertheless, travel agents have found their clients asking about what type of aircraft they will fly — even before the Feb. 12 disaster. Brian Murray, Western Region director for AAA Travel, said that there has always been “some degree of apprehension” about propeller aircraft on regional flights.
“After the incident in February, we had some express a little more concern,” he said. “There was more talk than action. It was on their minds, but we did not see a lot of disruption in travel plans.”
Murray also noted the prevalence of smaller planes. Flying to Rochester, Albany or Hartford, Conn., involves only turboprop aircraft, he said, and there is about a 50-50 chance of flying propeller planes to busy airports such as LaGuardia and Newark.
Nevertheless, some travel agents say they discourage travelers from taking smaller aircraft in winter, when bad weather is more apt to cause delays. “We avoid them at all costs in the wintertime,” said Jennifer Cunningham of Elliot Travel. “It’s not so much a fear of crashing, but a fear of delay.”
She also said some clients have always expressed apprehension about flying on smaller airplanes, even before the Clarence Center tragedy. But she has noticed even more concern since Feb. 12. “Absolutely,” she said. “It scares people, especially when it happens in your own backyard.”
Scott Foose, the Regional Airline Association’s vice president, said, “The industry has done so much to add layers of safety these days. Any time [an accident] happens, it gets lots of attention, and that’s good. But nobody is more interested in what happened than the industry.”
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