In recent columns, Jane has whined a bit about airline nickel and diming, excessive fees, and inattentive flight attendants. But the events of last week, during which a US Airways plane landed safely in/on the Hudson River, has Jane rethinking her complaints.
In an effort to save money, many airlines are “encouraging” their more experienced pilots to take early retirement. After all, senior pilots make more money than those less experienced. But after seeing what a difference a skilled pilot can make in times of emergency, Jane thinks the airlines are misguided in their money–saving efforts, at least when it comes to the pilot corps. If we all have to pay a little more to ensure the Sully's of this world are guiding our planes, so be it. (That said, Jane would still prefer to pay a higher ticket fare than be nickeled and dimed).
Furthermore, the incident points out what we passengers usually forget as we repeatedly ignore the safety instructions and otherwise condescendingly believe that flight attendants are little more than airborne waitresses and waiters. The fact is, when the job of flight attendant was first created, it was a safety position. Many early flight attendants were actually nurses. While today's flight attendants may not be RNs, they are trained in CPR and emergency management. Clearly, the flight attendants on board the US Airways flight managed to keep passengers relatively calm, and direct them safely to the appropriate exits. Maybe it's time we pay a little more heed and respect to the flight attendants, because there's more to them than meets the eye.
Jane supposes that all of us, next time we start grumbling about airfares and other airborne annoyances, should also take a moment to consider what flying is really all about—getting from Point A to Point B conveniently, quickly, and safely. That, as our friends from a certain credit card company would say, is priceless.
