Is there a thing called “unlucky day for flying”?
On Sunday we were flying out from Denver airport where TSA workers were good at using “throughput system” and everyone was very disciplined, but it seems that an airport is one system, so the stress on one link stresses everyone. I could feel that the flight attendants were stressed out too, although they were very polite, and even the pilots. (It was before the accident in LG.) The weather was not great, and the flight was slightly bumpy. When I thanked the pilot for a great flight, he looked at me as if it was horrible (but it was not!).
So first, I think we can’t separate TSA from the rest, because while people are doing different jobs, an airport is one huge beehive.
Also, if the weather was not the best above “the West”, it might have been horrible at “the East”. I think the weather factor is underrated as several similar accidents (“stupidly preventable”, I’d say) that I read about all involved rain or snow. And evening.
We never take into account personal condition of the ATC. Not only are they overworked, what if someone develops a headache and is short-staffed? There are subjective factors that no one factors in yet we should.
In some airports, they started drug/ETOH testing not only pilots or ATCs but also, the ground services (and after workday, too). Because of such accidents.
The transponders. It would have been cheaper to install them on all fire trucks than deal with LG closure for five days, the investigation and the rest.
Lastly, the transportation from both LG and JFK (even to Uber, especially in JFK) is so long that I end up taking a taxi. But people are trying to save money/time, so both airports are chronically overworked and overloaded, even on good days.
