HONESTY IN AIRLINE SHOCK, HORROR
CHRISTINE STANDING
16 April 2005
It is newsworthy and commendable that an airline has admitted that safety was not its top priority. Japan Airlines admitted, “safety had not been its top priority” instead, “All efforts and attention were focused on punctuality. The airline was careless about safety, JAL said in a report to the transport ministry on steps it is taking to restore its tarnished reputation.”
Kazuo Kitagawa, the transport minister, said: "Problems have continued even after JAL received the ministry's improvement order (in March). This is an extraordinary situation. The public rightly remains critical of JAL. So I implore JAL to unite in ensuring safety."
"There are no other examples of an airline coming under such ministry monitoring," noted an official with the ministry's Civil Aviation Bureau.(IHT/Asahi: April 15,2005)
The JAL report said management will hold 100 meetings with workers over a period of two months “to listen to the views of rank and file workers and ram home the need to focus on safety.” How refreshing at a time when Ryanair is threatening its own pilots, and Branson boss threatened to fold the airline if pilots, fearful of safety breaches, organized themselves into a union.
Remember this next time an airline boasts that it always keeps to punctual time-keeping. I’d rather take off late with a pilot who understands safety, and is not penalized for late take-off, than on-time with one who has been subjected to coercion by the airline time keepers.
For this story, click here.