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.

I'm flying there in the summer and not worrying about it. Statistically I'm more likely to die in a road accident on the ridiculously dangerous duel carriageway right near where I live that has accidents daily.

Dual not duel 🙄

Trump was talking about putting AI in charge of air traffic control, what could possibly go wrong?

Self driving cars anyone?

So many millions didn't vote for him, doesn't the president have to care about the interests of all Americans like those in Illinois that sends 30 billion dollars worth of goods to Canada every year, with Trump's tariffs and suggestions of Canada being nothing without American defence, how are such comments not going to negatively influence that trade?

Seriously, do you think it takes much effort to sensationalise reports on Trump's proposals?

I hate flying so I can sympathize. But I’m from there and most of my family is there so you just gotta find some way to stay calm and get on the plane.

It’s still after all an incredibly safe way to travel—don’t let fear pointlessly stop you living your life.

(for me it’s noise cancelling headphones and the occasional Xanax all the way lol)

That’s the nature of democracy, majority wins. And he got elected. This isn’t China or Russia we’re talking about - the electorate wanted Trump and that’s what they’re getting. I don’t get it but their call.

Brexit fucked over the U.K. big time and it was our government that did it, how much do you think they cared about the fall out for U.K. citizens? How much do you think Truss and Kwarteng care about the effects of them crashing the economy?

Every government policy has winners and losers (despite our current governments attempts to convince us otherwise).

I think Trump knows how to work western media extremely effectively, even he doesn’t believe half the stuff he says, a lot of it won’t happen but the press lap it all up because it’s an easy story.

DC have said to me they don't want to visit US because they wouldn't feel safe. I have to agree that I wouldn't feel confident that I would offend someone with a gun accidentally and the fact we speak the same language might be more dangerous because they seem to willfully misinterpret..see electing Trump again.

We are going there for Easter as well and I am not really worried about the flying but more about all the other things that might happen between now and Easter… probably they wont effect my holiday at all, but just worried about the rest of the world. Just hoping the dollar will go down a little😎

Personally, I wouldn’t. Not necessarily because of flight concerns though. Rather I don’t feel the US is a safe, stable place atm.

What are those things that pilots are concerned about? You have picked my interest, please share!

Yes, of course, no qualms whatsoever on BA etc.

Thank you for clearing this up. Your opinion is much more valid than the scaremongering ones.

@KuanKaKu you saying the helicopter pilot deliberately flew into the plane? Why would they do that? They were on a training flight, the air controller was doing the job of two people. It was an accident. They happen.

I think I know what you’re driving at but for the sake of the nervous flyers it’s probably worth pointing out that one of many factors in the DCA (Washington domestic airport) crash may have been the somewhat bespoke helicopter route system in use around the airport.

Those routes have been closed TFN.

I’m not American but if I was I wouldn’t have voted for him but he was democratically elected whether we love or hate him and is doing exactly what a lot of the people who voted for him wanted him to do.

Musk wasn't elected and he now has an inordinate amount of unearned and not democratic power. Trump isn't as clever as him and Musk is now infiltrating important systems.

Call me crazy but power-seeking, unelected men doing Nazi salutes being in charge of critical systems is worrisome to me.

Wow, thank you so much! But, what are those "several really big issues" you are talking about?!! Please explain.

no.

I wouldn't worry about flying...id be more concerned about driving down a country road. Aviation accidents are tragic and make headlines but people die on the roads every day.

I'm a nervous flyer and loath flying but i do it out of reason and the need to get to places I couldn't otherwise go to. Driving daily as part of my work is a huge risk but it rarely crosses my mind getting in my car or van....but really it should because before we board a flight the aircraft under goes a lot of checks, take off and routes are carefully plotted and your in the hands of some of the most highly skilled people in the world. Compare that to driving a car that will see mechanic every 12 months and the safety is not always governed by the driver....debris in the road, drunk drivers, deer...I've seen it all.

Interesting question. I don't know the answer, but it would be great if people like you wrote to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board about your nervousness. If they started to understand that the U.S. would potentially lose billions of dollars from a drop in tourism, it might make them take notice.

Hi, i wondered how you got on. My family and I are due to fly out in 2 weeks and we keep joking about the timing and the madness we are seeing going on over there but obviously and honestly it's not funny. You were completely in understandable in having reservations. I just wanted to connect with someone that seemed to be having the same feelings about it to see how you found it. I hope you had a nice time ❤️

Ditto this

Anyone asking this question is being very sensible. Air traffic controllers have been stripped down to the bare minimum of staff this was in the Republicans manifesto and they’ve done it.
Anyone thinking it’s still safe to fly with a minimal staff manning traffic control above America should really think carefully.
Planes have crashes already even Americans are choosing not to fly or take internal flights. Do you or you’re family want to take that risk?

There have been reports of issues with FAA manning levels for a few years now.

That said the recent reports I have heard with regard to the current administration has been a bit of rabble rousing about DEI and talk of laying off backroom/admin staff, I"ve not heard any credible reports about the laying off a significant number of actual controllers..

I'm no fan of Trump, but even with the succession of bad luck this year, flying in the US is still 10 times safer than it was in the 1980s and several hundred times safer than driving. I've seen estimates that the 9/11 death toll (around 3,000) was increased by about 50% by the road deaths caused by Americans being too scared to get on a plane afterwards.

Any effects that the (ludicrous) policies of Trump and Musk will have on airline safety are not going to be felt in the first few months — it's all about statistics and long-run probabilities. But of course the media are now bringing us breathless coverage of every minor incident. Things have calmed down around Boeing a bit now, but for 2 or 3 years after the two Max8 crashes, any incident involving a Boeing, whether or not a 737, whether or not a Max8, got huge publicity, even if it was due to a bird strike or something that could not possibly be connected to the manufacturer of the plane.

Where I would have concerns about going to the US, however, would be if anything even slightly non-standard happened at US immigration. We've already seen several cases of European tourists being not just deported, but first held in ICE detention facilities, because the presumption has shifted to "we're not sure, so we are going to lock you up". I sometimes say quite rude things about the current US administration on social media and while I don't think they're tracking me, if they picked me up for some reason they might (correctly) form the impression that I don't like them very much. So I'm not going to be going there for the foreseeable.

Members of The UK Subs were denied entry to the US - but they are pretty high profile in their public criticism of the current administration. I suspect Joe Public is unlikely to have issues (we recently flew in and I got the usual passport check and fingerprinting and DH just got waived through).

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/21/uk-subs-band-detained-deported