March 20, 2023
March 6, 2023
February 20, 2023
February 6, 2023
Today, inside a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a gunman opened fire apparantly killing a TSA employee and wounding at least six others. This terrible tragedy highlights some of the most obvious shortcomings of the safety protocols in place in the nations airports, but also highlights one of the key reasons for choosing charter flights over commercial. Among the top 10 reasons to choose charter flight is safety.
Why Charter Flights are Safer
Charter Flights are safer for many reasons. To start with, most charter companies require stricter adherance to FAR Part 135 regulations, which means that the aircraft are often safer–indeed, this is shown up in the statistics related to aircraft safety as reported in a report compiled by Robert E. Breiling Associates, Inc. But this aside, the risk of a hostile takeover (hijacking) is eliminated in a charter flight because the only passengers are those approved by the client. Indeed, add to this that a few months ago the TSA reapproved pocket knives on commercial planes (as if a pocket knife is safe) and recently the FAA has stated it will ease the electronic device restrictions as well and it becomes clear that charter flights are certainly safer than commercial.
But the LAX shooting now sadly highlights yet another reason why charter flights are safer–the airport terminals. Anyone can (and clearly does) enter
the terminals. It is not until the general public passes through the TSA security checks that dangerous weapons or explosives may be discovered. Thus, a lone gunman was able to enter the airport terminal 3 and open fire, leading TSA security on a chase and shootout that left him wounded along with many others. However, there are even reports that the gunman was able to get the assault rifle past TSA screeners in this instance.
In addition, flights are now stalled at the request of police with thousands of passengers unable to leave or arrive.
With a charter flight, these public terminals are not used and at many airports, charter flight passengers bypass public terminals altogether. This certainly reduces the risk associated with the lax safety standards in place for entry to airport terminals today.
At Charter Flight Group, we are naturally saddened at this event and our hearts go out to the victims and families. We hope that this event will spur increased safety in airports while at the same time recognize that such events only sadly add to our business. We would rather gain more business because people understand the better value that charter flight provides compared to other modes of travel, but understand that when such a tragic event occurs, people begin to look at safety with more of a common sense approach. To us, the higher degree of safety associated with charter flight is part of that common sense. If you agree, be sure to check with us next time you want to arrange a flight. Remember that if you are traveling with your entire family, the cost difference may be negligible. Regardless, the added safety and security that comes with charter flight cannot be put to a price–safety is just common sense.
