Grounded!

Headlines this week about Southwest Airlines having been grounded for "unsafe planes". This was followed by more planes grounded by the FAA at United Airlines and voluntary groundings by American Airlines and Delta Airlines. Does this mean the flying public is any less safe? So far nothing has been found that has been unsafe. What has happened is that regular maintenance inspections required by the FAA have not been followed. The "irregularities" were not in the physical structures of the planes, but in the required inspection and maintenance routines of the airlines. It was put to me this way: like your car you need to get your oil changed every 3,000 miles. It doesn't mean that your car isn't running right, but to prevent problems you need to have this done. Unlike your car, it's still safer to fly than drive.