Do you feel safe when flying?

[Wooky]

In light of the recent crash of the Russian Airbus in Egypt, do you feel safe when you fly on an aircraft?

I recently flew to Turkey playing golf, I had major concerns about my safety & was quite relieved to return home safely.
When I flew out from the UK, there was 3x huge queues at the check in desk, with just 1x member of staff trying & failing to cope.
As the queues got longer, eventually extra staff arrived to deal with it, but you could see they were rushing to get people through in time to board the flight.

The return to the UK was a simular experience.
Not enough time was allowed for staff to carry out proper security checks before people boarded the aircraft.
I watched, as the queues got longer & the time ticked by.
The airport staff were checking people properly at the front of the queue, but as the time went by & the departure time approuched, they just started waving people through.

It was easy to see where the security failings were, & it really left me fearing for my safety & not wanting to fly again if I can help it.

 

[freddielong]

I did 😯

I suppose that if a potential terrorist expects to be fully checked then they will make allowances for that situation and in the scenario you described no one knew to what level of security they would have to submit to so fingers crossed no one could make allowances for that.

It's not what you want to see prior to boarding a flight though.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

As safe as I do walking around and driving the car

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I always feel slightly nervy and I do look around the queue to those who fit the "profile". Not that I would do anything if I saw some likely suspects, just feel even more nervous I suppose. I'm pleased I don't fly often although I am next week. I expect security will be even tighter but frankly I am happy with that. Not good times.

 

[Hobbit]

Flew out of Newcastle and Dublin last week. Security was very good, and a number of passengers were stopped and rechecked, me included.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

UK airports aren't the problem. Most of Europe either. It is some of the places you fly to that are lax and that is where the nerves really begin.

 

[patricks148]

TBH, when you have people prepared to blow themselves up takes it to a whole new level security wise.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I feel safer flying than I do driving on the UK roads at the moment. The scariest thing I do is drive through the 50 limits on motorways at nights . I do 50 and you get the massive 38 tonners driving at the same speed a couple of yards behind you. And I think if I have to break suddenly then chances are I will die. Or when you see people driving so close together on motorways when they are doing 80 and above and you know that again sudden breaking will cause carnage. That is more scary than flying any day of the week.

 

[Wooky]

UK airports aren't the problem. Most of Europe either.

I am not so sure about that?
Maybe the UK & Europe are more security aware, but in my recent experiences over the last few years of flying to mainland Spain, the Canaries & Turkey, I was left wondering why the security appeared to be very rushed & random.

There was a common theme on all these journeys, of not enough airport staff on duty & not processing the passengers early enough to allow proper security checks, before the flight boarded.

 

[Pin-seeker]

I feel reasonably safe,but always relieved when we land.

 

[Duckster]

Always felt safe.

Used to do work for a holiday company doing resort IT support, so have flown out to pretty much every major holiday resort in Europe.

Never had any issues with security or feeling safe on a flight.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

No problems or concerns - after all - sitting in a big metal tube that is sitting on a wing 30,000ft up in the air - what is their to worry about.

 

[davidy233]

I love flying, it's still probably the best way to travel

 

[Tashyboy]

Flying from the uk and most of Europe, no problems. But as has been said others country's just don't seem to have adequate security. if someone can stow away on a plane in its undercarriage, then fall out over London then a " package " placed on a plane is less of a problem.
One of my biggest gripes at airports is passengers and there attitude towards safety. If you do not know by now what you can and cannot take onto planes inc liquids then you should be turned back and told your not flying. Passengers still moan coz they cannot take more than 100ml fluids onto a plane.
we flew to Florida in Nov after 9/11 from Gatwick. security was excellent, it had been beefed up for obvious reasons. We had been for warned by our travel company. People ( mainly women) were moaning about being checked, checked and checked again. Eventually a bloke tripped out and blew his top at a woman's constant moaning.
Ironically, the day we flew we were one of the last planes to leave England as another American plane crashed leaving NY. At the time there was panic as it was thougt there was another terrorist attack but it turned out the planes tail rudder fell off going through the turbulence of another plane.

 

[Smiffy]

I always feel slightly nervy and I do look around the queue to those who fit the "profile".

I went on a very rare excursion to London the other week (hate the place with a passion) and had to use the underground.
A guy got on and stood right next to me. If your "profile" is along the same lines as my "profile" this guy fitted it.
And he had a rucksack on.
Got to be honest, I felt a little nervy until he got off two stops later.
And I do get nervous when flying. But not because of what's going on at the moment, I'm just not a good passenger full stop.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Tashy - Just as bad the people who don't take off jackets or belts until they are front of the queue. If the signs are up "take your shoes off" then take your shoes off just before you are at the front, not when you are there and so hold everyone up. These same people then grumble about having to do it. We have been doing it for years now. Drives me mad.

 

[freddielong]

I always feel slightly nervy and I do look around the queue to those who fit the "profile". Not that I would do anything if I saw some likely suspects, just feel even more nervous I suppose. I'm pleased I don't fly often although I am next week. I expect security will be even tighter but frankly I am happy with that. Not good times.

Its horrible but I find myself doing it as well, I guess it's just human nature, I am sure during the irish troubles people would worry when they heard to many irish accents in certain situations, just self preservation kicking in.

 

[Beezerk]

Not a particularly nervous flyer but as LT I do check out who's in the queue for my flight, I guess it's just natural given what's happened over the years.
Regarding Egypt, it's a well known destination for the "Roid Run" and friends have said airport security was/is a joke.

 

[woody69]

There are approximately 100,000 flights globally every day.

That is circa 700,000 a week, which equates to 36,400,000 a year.

In 2014 there were 29 accidents with 900 odd fatalities (and this was one of the most deadliest years for plane crashes)

The chances of dying in a plane crash are anything from 1 in 3.5 million to 1 in 4.7 million depending on who you ask.

Yes I feel safe flying.

 

[Khamelion]

I was sitting in departure waiting for a flight from Schiphol to Barcelona and watched as a little girl got up with her mam, but left her pink back pack under the chair where she'd been sitting, 5 mins passed and I was just about to go mention it to someone in uniform, when the dad and the little girl came back to collect it. She was crying because she thought she lost it, dad was explaining why she shouldn't leave her bag lying around and how lucky she was it hadn't been taken away.

Not sure how many other people had spotted the same thing, but no one else had moved to go report it.