Why do planes still fly even during a storm, and other great flight fears answered
First, Malaysian Airlines MH 370 went MIA. MH17 was shot down. Taiwan TransAsia Airways followed suit. It crashed during landing attempt amid a raging storm. Scary. The series of unfortunate events made people think of crazy theories. Will aliens invade us? While women are more likely to suffer from aviaphobia or the fear of flying, everybody’s fair game when 36,000 feet above sea level.
So how can you beat your flying anxiety? Munch your worries away. Studies claim that in-flight meals (no matter how bland they may be) help break the monotony of flying. Eating also makes you sleepy and voila, you’ve safely landed just in time before you hit the snooze button. Still, here are five of your greatest flight fear questions, with answers straight from the air experts.
HOW CAN YOU ASSURE PASSENGERS THAT EVERY LUGGAGE HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY CHECKED FOR BOMBS AND EXPLOSIVES?
Remember when you had to take off your shoes and K9 dogs had to sniff your sweaty socks and body? It was a hassle, right? Nowadays, most, if not all local security check-ins do not bother to check the passenger’s shoes. Dubbed as the World’s Worst Airport by many websites, NAIA has a laxer approach when it comes to security. In the US, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), besides scanning the passengers and their luggage, mandates passengers to go through the Advanced Image Technology, where authorities can see any concealed items under clothes and even inside your body. “TSA does random checks for traces of explosives. The officers may swab your hands or your luggage to check for any presence of explosive residue,” says Ana Isabel Adona, a flight attendant from a major US carrier. “Sometimes, they will randomly open bags and search. If they do, they are required by law to leave a note inside your bag that it had been searched. Padlocks are not allowed on your bag,” she adds.
WHY DO PLANES STILL FLY—LIKE TAIWAN’S TRANSASIA AIRWAYS—EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER’S BAD?
“There is a go-signal from the tower that monitors the weather, so if they say it’s a go, we fly. If they assess it’s not safe, we wait until the weather clears out,” says a Cebu Pacific crew member, who asked not to be named. “Actually, an aircraft won’t fly if there’s a bad weather looming. We have PAGASA to decide if we should cancel flight schedules. Most or all plane crashes are caused by technical problems or terrorism,” says Michael Fronda of Kuwait Airways. Adds Ana Adona, “There are a few factors to consider whether the plane will fly through bad weather or not. The number one factor will be the flight route. Sometimes, the US Air Traffic Control can order the pilots to go around the weather area. In this case, they should consider how much fuel they are carrying. The more fuel they have, the more capacity they have to reroute and hold up or standstill in the air. The plane may also circle around an airport until it is safe to land. If the plane is already up in the air and there is a bad weather around, the planes that are ahead can radio in and warn the other planes taking the same route.”
“Flying through bad weather causes severe turbulence and often times causes aircraft to vibrate and jolt. In the case of the Taiwanese carrier, the flight plan looked as if the weather was out of the area. Storms sometimes do hover or take longer than projected to move out of the area,” says Nat Brandt, a crew member of a US airline.
IS THERE A DOCTOR ON BOARD IF I GET SICK OR HAVE AN ATTACK?
Flight attendants are trained for medical emergency, including childbirth. There is no doctor on board but flight attendants know how to perform first-aid treatment and CPR, among others. FAs undergo rigid trainings from grooming to customer service to security (some are trained in Aikido!) to aircraft structure and safety procedures. The flight may conduct an emergency landing in the nearest airport depending on the medical emergency.
WHAT ABOUT POLICEMEN? IS THERE A NEED FOR COPS?
Most of the airlines have air security forces called air marshals, who are dressed in plainclothes, says Michael of Kuwait Airways. The Philippines, however, does not have air marshals, a Cebu Pacific crew member adds. Instead, the FAs are trained to handle threats on board. In the United States and other first world countries, marshals are especially trained by the government to protect the flight deck. Only the flight crew knows their identities. “Nowadays, if something was to happen onboard, passengers usually jump in to help the crew. After the Sept. 11, 2001 (attack), people’s mindset has changed and will help to stop anyone trying to jeopardize the flight,” says Brandt.
WHAT ARE AIRLINE CREWS MOST AFRAID OF?
It’s a no brainer. Airline crews are mostly scared of plane crashes. “I am most afraid of ditching, when you make an emergency landing on water, because the chances of survival are very slim. The plane usually breaks in half and is damaged just like when you crash on a terrain,” says Ana Adona. Adds Chynn Tiu, who flies with a Middle Eastern airliner, “Since I’m pretty secure that our airline is safe, and that we’re trained to handle almost anything, I’m personally terrified of medical emergencies that I might not have enough experience to handle.”
Oh well, what are the odds of plane crashes? Worldwide, there are about 90,000 commercial airline departures every day, says the International Civil Aviation Organization. When factoring in flights around the globe, Discovery.com says the odd of dying in a plane crash is one in 11 million. Who’s up for weekend travel?
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