Do you think its going to be safe flying to the US during the next few months?

[Bubblyb00b]

Basically, that! I'm thinking about visiting in April - May but now completely freaking out as US air traffic control seem to be taken over by a nutcase Musk, with a lot of staff already sacked and I imagine many more getting sacked soon. Who TF is going to replace all the experienced staff - 19 year olds with play station controllers? This really is scary.

Personally, I wouldn't go to the US now.

Where in the US do you want to visit?

No. There's been three fatal plane crashes (DC, Philadelphia, Alaska), one collision on the ground and an engine fire in the last three weeks. I would not go anywhere near the USA right now for a whole host of reasons, but this one is top of the list.

Don’t be so ridiculous!!

Christ sakes, you may not like Trump (and that’s fair enough) but millions of people fly to and from and accross the US every single day. Accidents happen but to suggest not going on holiday for example, incase something happens is about the most OTT thing I’ve heard on here this year!

Musk is trying very hard, even though no one elected him, to get into every single institution in America. It's dangerous and starting with USAID, the treasury and aviation is a fabulous place to start.

@falkandknife you might think it's all fine, but it's not all fine.

No. It’s not safe.

If you say so…

The plane crashes really have me worried. I'm travelling there for work next month (and do a few times a year) and I can't really get out of it, but I don't think I'd choose to go for fun right now.

Were going at Easter, booked flights last year, there's no way we're not going. We'd lose all the money for the flights plus everything else we've booked & paid for

Maybe the best way to put your mind at rest is to compare the number of accidents over the past few weeks with the number of accidents over the past few years.
Then you will be able to judge if the risk has increased, decreased of stayed the same.

I'm not going because it's not safe, but boycotting US travel and US goods as much as I can until the country is no longer run by narcissistic toddlers with a vendetta.

The best thing non Americans can do for the longer term world wide benefit is boycott…. everything you possibly can that comes out of there … films, tv programmes, clothes, food etc.. and don’t voluntarily go there. It’s not good value anymore with their currency still strong and no, helicopters don’t fly directly into commercial airliners with lights on, in what is supposedly one of the most developed countries, by accident. The USA is currently the most dangerous ‘developed’ country out there, why support this? by consuming their exports and worse giving them your £

I can't really boycott US as I have close family there, was planning to fly to see them for Easter...Haven't seen them for over a year and really miss them all, they are all devastated and already feeling the effects of Trump (which I'm not going to discuss on here as this thread is not about that).

I'm a very nervous flyer best of times but the idea of no one sensible being in charge of air traffic control fills me with dread.

Well that's not very reassuring, isn't it?

I mean their own president announced he doesn't believe their systems are safe. It's an extraordinary for a president to do to his own country's aviation industry but I guess it depends whether you think he's reliable or not.

I also think with Trump shouting the odds with various countries around the world that there's a heightened risk of terrorist incident and that would give me cause for concern. Not checked if the threat level has been increased tho.

We're going at Easter and like a PP nothing is refundable. I'm trying not to think about it tbh but I have to work on the basis that the pilots would not voluntarily fly to their deaths and they are more knowledgeable than me on the state of air traffic control.

In your position with nothing booked I'd probably just book for later in the year when hopefully the grown-ups are back in charge.

Whenever there is a plane crash especially with a passenger jet many others which wouldn't ordinarily get reported as much go into the spotlight. It has been a bad time in aviation all over the world not just the USA.

Compare the loss of life from aviation incidents in the US to the loss of life on their roads or on a motorway in the UK you travel on regularly.

How is it not reassuring to be able to make an informed choice?

You might discover air safety in the US isn't anymore dangerous than it was thus time last year when presumably you would have gone without a second though.

Very true….if you look at the likes of avherald (amateur run site that tries to tracks aviation events) you’ll see incidents around the world on a regular basis, usually handled well by the crew so they never make the press….as far recent events in the US goes we may well be seeing (statistical) clumping.

The DCA accident was the first major scheduled airline accident involving a US carrier since Colgan 3407 in 2009…and the helicopter routes that may, perhaps, have been a major factor in that accident are suspended TFN.

The other two high profile US accidents, whilst tragic, were not the sort of flights with the sorts of operators most people in the Uk are likely to use (one was a medivac, Mexican aircraft, the other involved was single engine single pilot aircraft in a very remote area), European operators going into/out of the states are in an almost different line of business.

TBF I’d have to say there have been some concerned about some aspects of US ATC, it certainly needs looking at, but I’ve not heard yet of any credible plans by Musk or anyone else to start mass firings of controllers in the immediate future.

https://avherald.com

You will be fine.

Only you (and the people you're travelling with if old enough to have an opinion) can decide.
My choice is a definite no. But it's always been a no because of their gun laws (😳) that mean so little that every cupid stunt & his toddler owns/has one/has access to one.
Now add The Goonies to the mix and I'd rather never holiday again than go there.

But as you have family there this sounds difficult for you.
You will find a choice that suits everyone in time 🌼

But it clearly is more dangerous if you use your method of comparing fatal incidents this year to previous years. There were no fatal passenger aviation accidents in the US last year and none in 2023. There was only one fatal accident (a seaplane carrying 10 people) during the Biden administration. The last fatal accident involving a passenger jet in the US was in 2013 when three people died on a plane carrying more than 300 people. The recent accidents are clearly not in line with what you would normally expect in a such a short period.
People are still more likely than not to be fine, but this is an unusual cluster of fatal air accidents.

@Takoneko

The last fatal accident involving a passenger jet in the US was in 2013 when three people died on a plane carrying more than 300 people.

Yes one for the stats but kind of hard to blame the US or US authorities for that one..given the crew performance that one could have happened anywhere in the world.

I’ll have your ticket if you don’t want it.