VARIFRANK HAS THOUGHTS ON AIRLINE PASSENGER ANGER:

It’s not engine failure or bad aircaft designs that kill passengers and flight crews on aircraft but “Gotta-get-there-itis”. This easily preventable disease is still the biggest killer of flight crews and passengers in the world, and it’s the passengers and the pressures they put on flight crews to “get there” that serve as one of the root causes to this horrible disease. . . .

I’d much rather be inconvenienced by a delay, than dead from a bad decision. For me what matters is safety above all. The emphasis for scheduling is up to me. If I’m flying on a tight schedule and the schedule doesnt work, its ok, most of the schedule is out of my control. If its within my control to change my schedule by flying with fewer stopovers or with bigger layover windows, or heaven forbid – early, I do it. If I dont have those options, well I take the chance that a simple delay could blow the whole trip. It does happen, but its not the worst thing in the world. This is the worst thing in the world. I missed this flight because I was stuck in a meeting that went long. One of my coworkers managed to catch it. He was interested in getting home for his kids first Halloween.

He didn’t make it.

Airlines can be infuriating, especially when the delays aren’t safety-related, or when they give you the runaround. But Frank’s got a good point.