Thursday, September 22, 2005

What to Do With JetBlue

I try to fly JetBlue as often as possible, so obviously the report of a plane which had to make an emergency landing at LAX due to a landing gear failure was a bit distressing (I'm also a JetBlue stockholder, so that was a bit distressing too). I certainly am having some nasty little flashbacks of how my family always used to fly ValueJet--another low cost airline which went out of business because, well, because its planes had a disturbing habit of dropping out of the sky. But, as tragedy seems to have been averted, I now wonder how we should view the Blue in its wake?

As far as I can gather from the reports, the crew was as professional and adept as could be expected in the situation. Sure, leaving the satellite TV feed on so the passangers could watch their own drama live might not have been the best choice in retrospect. But aside from that, the pilot got the plane on the ground, the crew in the air instructed the passengers to do the things necessary for their own safety, the crew on the ground got the plane down as quickly as possible (no bureaucratic snafus here), and the emergency workers were on the ready as soon as the plane landed. JetBlue immediately promised an inquiry, while at the same time noting that the planes they use--Airbus A320s--are designed so they can land with precisely this sort of failure. So it seems they took and are taking all the right steps.

Obviously, man is somewhat of an irrational beast, so for many this will mean they will never fly JetBlue again. However, from a human perspective (as well as a business perspective--they seem to overlap here), I think we couldn't ask for much more out of JetBlue. Of course, all that assumes that nothing untoward comes out of the inquiry.

1 comment:

The probligo said...

One of the exciting things about flying, whether now or 95 years ago, has always been the uncertainty.

Of course, that little doubt is far smaller now than it was 95 years back, but the consequences are co-measurably greater.

It is a little like the comment made by a tv presenter from the back of a WW2 P51-D Mustang when he compared it to a car of the same age. "If the engine stops, the car will drift quietly to the side of the road, while this [aircraft] will do a pretty good job of plummeting".

I have no fear of flying, until I look out of the window. Then the thought crosses my mind... what a long way down...