A recent report showed that 2017 was the safest year on record for global commercial air travel, with not a single passenger fatality. But what may have been lost in the media coverage of that report is the fact that there hasn’t been a fatal passenger airline accident on a U.S. air carrier in the United States since 2009, and shortly thereafter tougher training, experience, and qualification requirements for airline pilots were enacted into law with ALPA's strong support.
This remarkable safety achievement is the result of a true team effort, both on the ground and in the air. And it all revolves around the most important and effective safety feature in any aircraft today: two well-trained, highly skilled, and experienced pilots.
Their job starts long before takeoff and ends well after landing. While passengers are checking in and going to their gates, the flight crew is inspecting the aircraft top to bottom, personally confirming that critical systems are in working order. They are rechecking weather developments for optimal safety and passenger comfort. They are using their judgment, earned from years of experience, to determine the best course of action. Pilots are trained for life to ensure we keep flying safe.
No one wants to go back to the way things were in the industry just a decade ago. And the dedicated professionals—pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, air traffic controllers, manufacturers, and government—all collaborate to ensure that we all can enjoy the same number of landings as takeoffs daily.
To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, success does have many, many parents, and no single person has a claim to all the credit for the safer skies enjoyed by us all.
Thanks to pilots, the safest place on Earth will always be in the air. Learn more about why American skies are safer now than ever.