Commercial air travel may be safe, but watch out for the airports
Air travel may be one of the safest ways to get around. It’s the airports you have to look out for — especially if you work there.
As an airline employee, I’ve had a front-row seat to several catastrophic events at airports, and have heard about many at others. And that doesn’t count the airplane accidents I’ve worked with and the associated loss of life involved with those.
While I’ve written about the life of an airline employee before, here are a few more examples of why the flying public (and the industry bigwigs who dole out their salaries) ought to give more credit to those on the airline’s frontline.
Passed under. A Midwest Airlines worker passed out his van was wedged under a Boeing 717 at at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. As of this writing, his condition is unknown.
Pulled in the wrong direction. American Eagle was fined $6,300 for safety violations after a ramp agent died at Raleigh/Durham International Airport after an accident between an aircraft and a baggage tug.
That sucks. Several years ago, an aircraft mechanic in El Paso, Tex., was sucked into the engine of a Continental Airlines 737 and killed during a routine maintenance check.
Pinned down. A US Airways Express baggage worker was killed at Washington’s Reagan National airport during her third week on the job when she was pinned between a baggage loader and an aircraft.
Tire trouble. An airport maintenance worker at the airport in Toledo, Ohio, was killed while changing a tire on a jetway after it exploded and he was struck in the head.
So next time you’re stuck on a delayed plane, remember, it could be worse. You could be working at the airport.
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