Local Aviation Expert Weighs In On Changes To Make Flights Safer
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The horrific and deliberate crash of the Germanwings flight into the French Alps is on the minds of travelers as they get ready to board flights...including hundreds on Lufthansa Airlines, which owns the carrier of the doomed flight.
"It's really terrible," said German national Eva Deck.
Deck was disturbed to learn the co-pilot apparently crashed the plane on purpose, but in a way, they were relieved.
"The feeling when I go to the plane, it's better that it was not a technical defect, but for the relatives but for the persons who was killed, it was terrible," said Deck.
CLICK HERE To Watch Natalia Zea's Report
The incident does not make Peter Deck question his airline of choice.
"I feel good, I feel good when I fly with Lufthansa," he told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
However, aviation security expert and attorney with Podhurst Orseck, P.A. Ray Rasco says the crash does reveal glaring differences in terms of government regulation. In this case, the United States' rules are tougher regarding the cockpit.
" In the United States after 911, the co-pilot cannot be alone in the cockpit, at least a steward or stewardess has to be in there with him. And on this particular occasion, in Europe, Lufthansa specifically do not have that same requirement," Rasco told Zea.
Norwegian Airlines and Air Canada strengthened their cockpit policies today as a result of this disaster.
South Florida traveler, Fawad Shabbier is a safety investigator for Air Canada.
He's tasked with ensuring the fleet has no defects...he says the same is not so easily done in terms of who controls the plane.
"As far as human beings go, you can't look too deep into the psyche of a person and know what exactly is in their mind," said Shabbier.
Rasco points out though, that Germanwings psychologically tests its pilots less than many other carriers.
"Many airlines regularly psychologically test their pilots and co-pilots once a year."
Airline passenger Chuck Meyer knows well that security procedures vary between airlines.
"When you fly on enough different airlines you realize they all run different ways. And if you're in different parts of the world, there are certain planes you think twice before getting on, and I don't fly on those planes," he said.
Traveling to 38 countries over his career has led to Meyer being choosy and doing his research well before stepping foot on the plane.
"Ss you read through enough, you start to formulate some opinions that are probably close to correct, and it is your life and now you decide which airplane you want to fly."
Rasco suggests looking into the records of airlines.
"You can look at their safety record, you can look at their prior history of accidents, you can also look at the regulations they have, the screening regulations they have for the pilots. What kind of requirements they have to meet."
For more information before you travel click here:
FAA Data and Research: http://www.faa.gov/data_research/
FAA Safety Record: http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_safe/safety_record/
FAA Regulations and policies: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/
European Aviation Safety Agency: http://easa.europa.eu/
NTSB DATABASE: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/index.aspx
