Is sitting in the back of the plane safer than in the front?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

It might seem like whether a passenger sits in the front of an airplane or in the back won’t affect their chances of surviving a crash, because if the plane is going down, you’re screwed either way. But people do have their preferences, and on a recent 20/20, Gena Binkley and John Stossel (possessor of one good-lookin’ mustache) investigated whether those preferences really make sense. So do they? Is the back really safer than the front? ABC News has the scoop:

“‘I’ve heard this myth so many times and there’s just nothing to support it,’ said Nora Marshall of the National Transportation Safety Board. She has spent 24 years investigating plane crash survivability at the NTSB.”

An aviation analyst added: “We’ve got as many people who’ve gotten out of a front section of a jetliner as they have gotten out of the rear section… The best place, if there is a best place, would probably be next to the emergency exit, but even that isn’t proven out.”

And what about that bit of “common sense” that if there’s a plane crash, you’re out of luck no matter what?

“‘Even in the accidents that involve fire and major structural damage and, and include injuries, we still see that more people survive than are killed in the accident,’ Marshall said. She and her colleagues at the NTSB issued a report [pdf] that found that in most plane accidents in the United States, the majority of passengers on board survive.”

Check out this web video for the full investigation.

Personally, I’ve always heard that the drive to the airport is more dangerous than the flight itself, so I always become inexplicably nervous about the drive to the airport. Go figure.

Considering an airport lounge membership? Think again

by Iva Skoch on

I know Grant recently wrote about how he enjoyed his airport lounge membership. I don’t know if WorldPerks (Northwest) does a better job than OnePass (Continental) but I am actually bitterly disappointed with mine.

I have had a Continental Presidents Club pass for about a year now, and, honestly, I don’t understand why anyone would want one. Once you get in, it is hard to find a spot to sit peacefully, because the place is always packed (with people on conference calls, usually). They serve terrible food, if you can call crackers and some cheap cheese “food.” Yes, they do have free newspapers and magazines, although their choice of magazines is quite peculiar — they range from what looks like advertising brochures on golf vacations to Spanish-language pop culture rags. OK, they do have free booze. “Free” is relative, though, since you actually pay for the membership ($400+ dollars annually.) My favorite part is the bathroom. They do have nicer bathrooms than what you find in most terminals. Is it worth $400? You tell me.

To be fair, I spend most of my “lounge” time in the New York metropolitan area and, perhaps, the lounges here are worse than average. Perhaps I am too spoiled by the lounges in Europe which are typically so much nicer! Or, perhaps Continental just gives out way too many of these memberships free with credit cards…

Bedlam at Heathrow ensues, as British Airways 777 shorts landing

by Grant Martin on

London‘s Heathrow Airport was cast into disarray today when a British Airways (BA) 777 landed short of runway 27 and nosedived into the earth before the tarmac. Several landing gear were sheared off while the airframe sustained significant damage.

Amazingly, there were no casualties in the disaster, with only a couple dozen passengers being taken to the hospital for minor injuries and one concussion. The rest of the passengers deplaned from the emergency slides. It is perhaps a testament to the pilot’s aptitude and performance during the emergency that nothing worse happened.

According to the most recent reports, the aircraft appears to have lost power on approach, resulting in the plane gliding silently under only mechanical control onto its belly.

Operations at Heathrow shut down completely following the incident, with a graduated return to operations over the course of the day. Despite the resumption, dozens of flights were canceled, stranding passengers inside of the already cramped terminal and overtaking lounges. I can only imagine how pleasant that was.

Heathrow expects to resume operations tomorrow as the investigation continues.

Americans advised not to fly Philippine Airlines

by Iva Skoch on

I didn’t realize the FAA officially rates airlines based on their security standards. Well, they do.

Just this week, Philippine Airlines got downgraded to a Category 2 airline requiring “heightened FAA surveillance.” They join countries likes Ghana, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Ivory Coast, all of which apparently have inadequate air safety standards.

Philippine Airlines will continue flying to the United States, but US citizens are advised to use carriers from countries whose civil aviation authorities meet international standards.

The five worst US airlines

by Jerry Guo on

These rankings are straight from the US government (courtesy of the Department of Transportation), so at least they’re not entirely biased. Based off the number of complaints, the five worst US airlines are Northwest, Delta, United, American, and US Airways (being the worst).

None of this is especially surprising, other than maybe that complaints are surging–as usual. But what is surprising is that America’s most hated airline, US Airways (sadly most US travelers will agree with you hands-down on their status), is equally hated, if not more so, by its own employees. Ouch.

In a New York Times story, one worker wrote in, “… I hate to tell you but the interiors of our plans [sic] smell bad and they are filthy. As an employee I am embarrassed to admit working for US Airways.” It was also revealed how far the airline will go to cut costs–they’re currently on the lookout for a cheaper supplier of their famous pretzels. Right now, each package costs roughly 3 cents.

I’ve had several bad experiences with US Airways, though to their credit, the last time they randomly canceled my flight–and had the nerves to blame it on the weather–they ended up agreeing to send me a $250 voucher. But I generally go out of my way to avoid flying with them. And so should you!

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