800 million more passengers by 2016

Iata has released an industry traffic forecast showing that airlines expect to welcome some 3,6bn passengers in 2016. This is around 800 million more than the 2,8 billion passengers carried by airlines in 2011.

These figures are revealed in the Iata Airline Industry Forecast 2012-2016. This industry consensus outlook for system-wide passenger growth sees passenger numbers expanding by an average of 5,3% per annum between 2012 and 2016. The 28,5% increase in passenger numbers over the forecast period will see almost 500 million new passengers travelling on domestic routes and 331 million new passengers on international services.

The regional outlook over the 2012-2016 forecast period shows that Africa will report the strongest passenger growth with 6,8% compound annual growth rate. International cargo demand will rise 4%.

The emerging economies of Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East will see the largest passenger growth. This will be led by routes within or connected to China, which are expected to account for 193 million of the 831 million new passengers over the forecast period (159 million on domestic routes and 34 million traveling internationally). Passenger growth within the Asia-Pacific region (domestic and international) is expected to add around 380 million passengers over the forecast period.

Through 2016, the United States will continue to be the largest single market for domestic passengers (710,2 million). In the same year, passengers on international routes connected to the United States will total 223 million, making it the largest single market for international travel as well. Reflecting the maturity of the United States market, growth rates (2.6% for domestic and 4.3% for international) will be well below the international average (5.3 % for international travel and 5.2% for domestic traffic).

“Despite the current economic uncertainty, expected demand for connectivity remains strong. That’s good news for the global economy. Growing air transport links generate jobs and underpin economic growth in all economies. But exploiting these will require governments to recognise aviation’s value with policies that do not stifle innovation, tax regimes that do not punish success and investments to enable infrastructure to keep up with growth,” said Tony Tyler, Iata’s director general and CEO. Globally, aviation supports some 57 million jobs and US$2,2 trillion in economic activity.

Lanseria to become aerotropolis

Lanseria International Airport will see dramatic infrastructural changes in the coming years as the new owners have announced plans to transform the region into a true airport city or aerotropolis.

LIA was sold to a consortium of investors, including Sandton-based pan-African infrastructure development fund manager, Harith; women’s empowerment company, Nozala; and the Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF). Harith is heavily invested in the aviation industry in Africa and has financed two airports in Tunisia through the TAV Group.

Pule Molebeledi, Harith’s investor relations and communications executive, told Tourism Update that Harith’s investment would seek to augment the plans of the City of Johannesburg to turn the area into an aerotropolis. The city first announced expansion plans for Lanseria in 2009 after an extensive study into the possible expansion of South African airports. In March this year, executive mayor, Parks Tau, restated these plans in his 2012 state of the city address.

The airport’s new owners have now approved a capital expenditure plan allowing for drastic infrastructural improvements, which could make an aerotropolis a real possibility. Pule says plans for the airport will see development of a new runway, the upgrade of the existing aircraft parking bays and the development of a new multi-storey parkade. He says the plan further allows for continued expansion and development of the terminal building and associated retail and other airport infrastructure.

“We essentially want to build LIA as a pre-eminent low-cost operator in South Africa through the increased passenger numbers and scheduled flights,” says Pule. He says LIA has been able to attract a lot of business from privately owned aircraft as well as scheduled airlines, thanks to its strategic location and modern infrastructure. “This growth is forecast to continue and potentially accelerate, on the back of growth and new entrants in the South African low-cost carrier market and as more regional airlines and SA-based airlines begin flying to LIA,” Pule says.

Industry players in the aviation sector have welcomed the ambitious expansion plans for the airport. Hein Kaiser, Communications Manager Mango Airlines, says he expects the major infrastructural developments that are planned will likely enhance operations in the near future. “An increase in economic activity within the geographic area of secondary airports is normally an indirect consequence of stimulation brought about by air travel. Increased development in the area will, in turn, increase demand for air travel, so it could become a win-win situation.”

GEPF communication manager, Khaya Buthelezi, says the investment in LIA is a secure one within a volatile environment. “From a GEPF perspective, our investment in Lanseria is informed by our development investment framework that has identified infrastructural investments as an attractive asset class with diversification benefits and investment returns that are uncorrelated with financial market volatility.”

Mobile technology vital for African air travel!

Mobile technology has a vital role to play in the growth of African airlines, according to Paul Murphy, Vice President of airline information technology company, SITA.

He was speaking during the 44th Annual General Assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre on November 19.

He said Africa, with its already huge penetration of mobile phones and services, was an ideal platform for airlines and airports to adopt and deploy mobile applications with ease.

“The number of passengers with smartphones worldwide has risen dramatically over the past year, from 54% to 70%. We are already seeing the impact at airports with mobile check-in increasing by one-third during this period and as many as 21% of passengers have now used a mobile boarding pass. We’re currently at the tipping point of explosive growth in the mobile services offered to passengers, which will give them more control over their journey as well as do much to reduce stress.”

According to SITA’s 2012 Airline IT Trends survey, mobile services for passengers are currently a top investment priority for airlines.

“Mobile apps are already being used on other continents to improve the passenger experience, reduce operating costs and generate revenue, and are being adopted across sales, customer services and passenger processing.”

However, he said cost was a key consideration, and explained how packaged community solutions would serve to spearhead development within the African airline industry.

“SITA has been working with AFRAA on a number of packaged community solutions that can be adopted by groups of airlines for shared benefits. One of these is cloud computing, which will dramatically reduce the total cost of ownership for airlines.”

He added that SITA was also investigating the opportunity, jointly with AFRAA, of the viability of a shared African airlines contact centre.

“With human interaction still forming a vital role on the African continent, we will be examining ways to centralise data storage and customer interaction, thereby serving to reduce these costs for individual airlines.”

Another factor hampering development is the lack of collaboration between the different stakeholders. However Murphy said he was confident SITA could assist in creating a crossroads solution between separate entities such as government agencies, airports and airlines.

Please Help the Sparrow Rainbow Village HIV/AIDS Hospice and Children’s Home

Hi Everyone

We are appealing for assistance from caring, compassionate donors who can afford to donate R25.00 to help us provide the basic needs of the orphaned children in our care.

The Sparrow Rainbow Village HIV/AIDS Hospice and Children’s Home in Maraisburg, celebrated its 20^th Birthday in February this year.

The Village, when established, was the first its kind in the World and has been responsible for saving the lives of 1000’s of patients that have admitted into the highly rated facilities, receiving the FREE OF CHARGE 24hr medical care provided with love by our trained, dedicated nursing staff and doctors.

Sadly however, many patients waited too long to get help and despite all our efforts trying to save them, they died, leaving their now orphaned children in our care. Together with the other Children placed into our home by the South African Courts and Social Services, we have nearly 250 orphaned children, totally dependent on Sparrow Ministries for all their basic requirements, including education, clothing, meals, housing, medical and emotional needs.

As you can imagine, caring for this number of children is a huge task and being 100% dependent on donations, very few of them have had the experience of receiving new shoes, clothing or even a birthday present.

With his in mind we are appealing to all individuals, Business and Companies receiving this email to request their friends, family members and customers to donate R25.00 in lieu of Birthday or Christmas cards to the Children’s Home, so that we may raise sufficient funding to purchase each of our children a new pair of school shoes or even just for once, take a child shopping on their birthday and allow them to choose a new clothing item of their choice.

 

DONATING THE R25.00 IS SO EASY AND SIMPLE

SIMPLY SMS THE WORD “CARE” TO 41423 AND SPARROW WILL RECEIVE 100 % OF THE R25.00 THAT IS CHARGED TO YOUR AIRTIME WITHOUT ANY DEDUCTIONS OR CHARGES BY THE CELL PHONE NETWORKS.

 

SMS  THE WORD “ CARE”  TO NUMBER    41423   

 

Together with donations from other donors responding to this appeal, your R25.00 donation will have a major impact on the lives of the children in our care.

 

If you doubt that this is a legitimate request then please contact Sparrow Ministries for confirmation.     

 

I also will appreciate it if everyone receiving this would please pass it on to their own personal contact list, asking your friends, contacts and family to assist us in this very worthy cause.

 

Kindest Regards

Robert Miller

Fundraiser

Cell No 0827876997

Solo travel on the rise - survey

Recently conducted research has revealed that a rapidly growing single traveller market is emerging, reports Travel Daily News.

Solos Holidays, the UK’s leading specialist for solo travellers, conducted a survey that showed a growing trend of people looking to holiday alone.

“The singles market is the fastest growing sector in travel today, and we have been leading the way in this market place for over 30 years. Today we are seeing a rapidly growing 35- to 50-year-old single traveller market, which no longer sees a stigma in travelling solo, and we continue to adapt our offer to cater to their needs and to ensure we remain top of our field,” says Andrew Williams, Managing Director for Solos Holidays.

Almost half of those surveyed stated that they enjoyed being single, and approximately 40% felt that there was no stigma to being single any more, having seen a real shift in public perception over the past few years.

Over 60% of those surveyed confirmed that holidays were extremely important to them, and 70% stated that, in spite of the current economic climate, they would continue to take the same number of holidays over the next three years, with 23% claiming they would actually be likely to increase the number of holidays they took.

While 20% of travellers over 50 confirmed they still had a keen sense of adventure, the biggest driver for choosing a solo holiday was for leisure and relaxation.

Business travel makes you happy – new research!

Business travel is a source of personal happiness, according to research conducted by Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, who conducted a research study to discover how frequent business travel impacts one’s perspective on work, home life and personal well-being.

It conducted an online survey of approximately 1000 frequent US business travellers in May. “We feel the best way to help our guests succeed is to understand how they operate, so we can maximise their experience at our hotels,” said Shruti Buckley, Vice President and Global Brand Manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites.

“The overwhelming majority of travellers are satisfied or very satisfied with the amount they travel for business, which says a lot about the personal benefits of business travel,” continued Buckley.

Finding 1: Frequent business travel enhances your life

• 76% of respondents reported that because they travelled for business, they felt more prepared in life.
• 86% of respondents reported that because they travelled for business, they valued time with family and friends more.
• 83% valued their own personal time more.
• 92% said that taking business trips had made them a better overall traveller.
• 76% claimed their friends viewed them as expert travellers.

Finding 2: Frequent business travel leads to happiness

Despite experiencing travel delays; missing their families, pets and home-cooked meals; losing their luggage; or even skipping a family event, the vast majority of frequent business travellers reported positive emotions when preparing for and during a trip.

“While more than half of frequent business travellers said they worked twice as much when on the road, they also experienced a certain feeling of freedom,” said Buckley. “60% reported feeling free to do whatever they wanted, which is empowering, as is getting their job done.”

Participants also reported physical and psychological benefits to companion business travel. Other frequent business travellers’ happiness might stem from the aspects of travel they qualify as most enjoyable, such as experiencing new places, meeting new people, going out to eat, earning mileage or loyalty points, trying new foods, not going into the office, spending time alone and meeting up with friends.

Finding 3: Frequent business travellers can teach us a lot

“We credit our frequent guests with developing best practices for business travel,” said Buckley.

Most frequent business travellers report feeling prepared (62%) and confident (54%) when preparing for a business trip.

For example, some of the most frequent business travellers create an “always pack list” to make preparation easier. In addition to cellphones, computers and reading material, items that frequent business travellers always keep on hand include: business cards, medication, nutritional supplements, power cords and snacks.

• The majority of frequent business travellers (74%) also keep in touch with their friends and family at least once a day, using cellphones, email, text messaging, social networks, instant messaging and Skype.
• From photos to pillows, almost half (49%) bring a personal item along with them to remind them of home.

SA eyes 2024 Olympics

SA is eyeing a bid for the 2024 Olympics in the wake of the Games in London, with Durban a frontrunner, reports iol.

According to the report, on August 15, Tubby Reddy, CEO of the SA Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation (SASCOC), said they had already commissioned a feasibility study on a 2024 Olympic bid.

Expected to be done in two to three phases and completed next year, it will determine which city would be best suited to make the bid on behalf of the country.

South Africa was originally in the running for the 2020 Olympics until the government decided to withdraw to focus on social priorities.

The feasibility study ties in with the Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) conference and exhibition to be held in Durban next month, where a 17-year plan will be discussed and decided on with the National Sports Tourism Steering committee.

SETE conference director, Sugen Pillay, said the committee was tasked by SASCOC with developing and implementing a national strategy that would outline the key sports events which SASCOC, and its federations and partners, will be bidding for between 2013 and 2030.

“Almost a year of research and careful planning and preparation is set to come to fruition when the recommendations of the strategy are discussed and adopted at the forthcoming conference,” said Pillay.

He added that the strategy would also look at how South Africa would bid for such events and also look at the capacity of each city.

Reddy said the first phase of the study would look at the year-to-year plan targeting hosting international events, and the second phase would look specifically at the Olympics. He also said SASCOC would also focus on infrastructure – what was already in place and what still needed to be done.

Municipal spokesman, Thabo Mofokeng, said Durban would be guided by government on whether it would bid. He said it would also consider feasibility. It would further require financial support from national government and the province.

Mofokeng said he was confident Durban would have an edge over other cities because it has “the best facilities that can handle any sporting code and also has skilled people to host the best events in the country”.

Google acquires Frommer’s

The Frommer’s brand has been purchased by Google. An announcement about the Internet giant’s latest acquisition was made by Frommer’s owner, John Wiley & Sons, earlier this week.

While both parties declined to comment on the financial terms of the Frommer deal, South African travel technology company Tourism Radio CEO, Mark Allewell, says this shouldn’t be the focus. “The fact that Google is expanding on its existing travel interests means they’re obviously committed to developing the industry and, in so doing, completely changing the way we travel.”

Google bought restaurant review authority Zagat in September last year and has confirmed that Frommer’s will now be fully integrated into the team. “Frommer’s is one of the most trusted travel guide names in the world and they’re the perfect addition to the Google stable,” says Allewell.

Tourism Radio partnered with Frommer’s in March this year to produce audio travel guides for destinations all over the world on its mobile platform. Allewell says: “At present, we’re very happy with our partnership with Frommer’s, and together we’ve produced some really quality guides for tech-savvy travellers.”

Global aerotropolis trend set to take off in SA

A prominent US academic has described the Ekurhuleni suburb of Rhodesfield as “a potential gold mine” once it is developed into South Africa’s first aerotropolis – a growing international trend of developing a mini city around an airport.

Professor John Kasarda, who is recognised as the developer of the aerotropolis concept, says Rhodesfield’s proximity to OR Tambo International Aiport, the Gautrain and Ekurhuleni’s economic hub of Kempton Park makes it an ideal hub for the country’s first airport city. This follows an announcement last year by the mayor of Ekurhuleni that the metropole would host the continent’s first aerotropolis.

The KwaZulu-Natal government has also subsequently revealed plans for an aerotropolis around King Shaka International Airport and Cape Town has hinted at doing the same.

Denel Aerostructures CEO, Ismail Dockrat, says passenger and cargo air traffic to OR Tambo is projected to grow at a rate of more than five percent per year for the next two decades, with the number of commercial aircraft arriving at the international airport set to more than double by 2030.

It is estimated that the development of an Ekurhuleni aerotropolis will create 62 000 jobs and generate R42bn for the economy.

The planned aerotropolis development follows an emerging global trend. China, for example, has plans to build 100 new airports by 2020, most of them on the aerotropolis model. By 2020, 82% of China’s population will live within 90 minutes of an airport.

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which books more than 153 million room nights for guests each year, has identified aerotropoli as an important development in its 2012 Trend Report, saying the proliferation of aerotropoli is set to continue – the result of changes in travel patterns across the globe.

“For aerotropli in South Africa to be a success, investors and government need to proceed cautiously and make wise decisions based on demand and the scope for growth in the areas which have been earmarked,” says Andrew Davidson, General Manager of the InterContinental hotel at OR Tambo Airport.

“In South Africa, we’re seeing cities capitalising on the need for retail, conferencing and accommodation establishments close to airports. OR Tambo is linked to a modern road system which connects Ekurhuleni to South Africa’s political capital, Pretoria and Africa’s economic powerhouse, Johannesburg.

“Travelling from the airport to a business meeting in Sandton, Rosebank or Pretoria is now very easy and the location of a number of luxury hotels at OR Tambo means business travellers can be based at the airport within a safe, easy walk from the international arrivals and departures hall,” says Davidson.

As evidence of Ekurhuleni’s growing status as an emerging business hub, the city will host the Airport Cities World Conference and Exhibition (ACE) in April 2013. This conference brings together various players in the air travel industry as well businesses that benefit from air travel.

Trends in Travel and Tourism

People will travel less, spend more within next few years!

Within the next few years, people are going to be travelling less but expecting more from their travel experience. This is the view of Damian Cook, Founder and MD of E-Tourism Frontiers, an initiative aimed at developing online tourism in emerging markets.

“People are not going to be content with just a holiday. They are going to expect a lot more and spend more. It’s about delivering high-value experiences and this factor is critical to how people market their travel products.”

Cook said that online tourism in general had fared well during the recession – it dropped by the least and came back most. He said it could be attributed to two things – online is where markets are headed. It is becoming the predominant channel for bookings. And when people are economically threatened, the Internet is a good tool for comparing prices.

Integration of social media into other elements like reviews is another important trend, according to Cook. “A lot more is happening in terms of merging of people’s web activity as far as social media is concerned. Individuals showing articles they have read and videos they have watched on their Facebook page, and allowing their audience to access that, carry a lot more weight when it comes directly from a trusted network of friends.”

He said when it came to reviews, hoteliers could be resistant to sites like Tripadvisor, because they think the advice is often too broad, and question how trusted the people writing reviews are. Now, Tripadvisor is integrating more Facebook content on to its website, and individuals can see their friends’ reviews, which adds a lot more value when it comes from people they know.

Another key trend in online tourism is that it has shifted away from text and become more visually focused. Cook says more and more people are posting videos and images on social networks, and when one looks at the rate of engagement in terms of people liking, commenting and sharing, it has become much higher than text.

This is also shifting into other areas. “Search, for example, is becoming more visually driven and you are seeing a lot of visual content in search results, and more visually driven websites and social networking sites such as Pinterest are emerging.”

He said, as a result of this shift, a new phenomenon had emerged in the online travel industry known as the inspiration engine. An increasing number of travel sites are being created that use a lot of visual content to get people interested and inspired, and use that as a means to find suppliers who can provide that service. “We will see a lot more visual search, and a lot more referrals and conversion as a result. Online travel sites are no longer about just showing the destination but about driving referrals and business.”

Another key trend is the greater integration of social media in mobile and the huge impact it is having on travel. “It has created ‘vicarious travel’. An increasing number of people are travelling with smartphones, they are getting access to ideally free Wi-Fi in hotels, and they are using that to post to social networks while they travel. Last year, 72% of Americans were posting updates on Facebook at least once a day while they were travelling.”

Cook said what this was creating was a real shift in marketing influence. “In terms of Facebook, every traveller has his/her own potential audience of people watching them on a daily basis while they travel. Each tourist who posts this information is in essence becoming a blogger to their own personal audience.”

When tourists bring in check-in mobile applications, they are also able to refer their audience to the hotels and attractions they are using.

“It’s a fundamental change, as this creates direct user-generated content and marketing. When you look at what people rate as being the key influences on them for travel, the number-one influence is the Internet and number two is friends and family. These two factors are now being combined in a literal and instant way,” he concluded.

JHB, Durban, CT among world’s most-visited cities

Thirteen African, cities including Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Maputo and Nairobi, have been ranked among the world’s most-visited cities in the latest MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index.

“This is the second instalment of this MasterCard Index, which is used as a barometer for understanding the global economy and the dynamic flow of commerce across the world,” said Dries Zietsman, Country Manager, MasterCard Worldwide, South Africa. “The index ranks 132 global cities by their total international visitor arrivals and the cross-border spending by visitors in the destination cities. It also forecasts visitor and passenger growth for 2012,” he said.

According to the index, Johannesburg will be the second most visited destination city in Africa, with a projected 2.5 million international visitors expected in 2012.

International visitors are projected to spend more while visiting Johannesburg than any other destination city on the continent, with US$3.3 billion estimated to be injected into the city during 2012, an increase of 8.1% on 2011’s figures.

The three cities from which most visitors to Johannesburg originate are London (328,000), Frankfurt (196,000) and Dubai (166,500). Combined, these visitors are expected to inject US$975 million into the city’s economy in terms of cross-border spend during 2012.

Ahead of Johannesburg in terms of visitor numbers, and taking the top position in Africa, is Cairo with 3.3 million visitors expected in 2012, while Casablanca, with an anticipated 2.1 million visitors, is third.

The index revealed that Durban will be the fastest growing city in Africa for both visitor numbers and expenditure, and is predicted to be the second-fastest growing city of all the 132 cities surveyed worldwide, with a projected 33.3% growth in the number of international visitors and 41.3% growth in visitor expenditure in 2012 – albeit off a low base.

“The Durban International Convention Centre provides the largest flat-floor, column-free exhibition and conferencing space in Africa, attracting many international exhibitors to the city while playing host to some of the largest and most complex conferences and business events in the world over the past 15 years,” said Zietsman.

The majority of international visitors to Cape Town are from London, with 185,000 visitors expected to spend US$361 million throughout the year. This is followed by 127,500 travellers from Dubai spending US$118 million, and 76,000 visitors from Amsterdam spending US$68 million.

“Cape Town is popular with many travellers because of the wide-range of experiences it offers visitors,” said Zietsman.

According to Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, global economic advisor for MasterCard Worldwide and author of the report: “This kind of growth pattern strongly suggests that destination cities in emerging markets in Africa will also continue to grow in importance in the global economy. In spite of the ups and downs of the business cycle, the overall pattern is clear: cross-border travel by air is a resilient trend that is embraced by a growing number of people across Africa, underpinned by visitors’ robust willingness and capacity to spend.”

WARNING - Cost of mobile telecommunications whilst travelling to Ukraine/Poland for the Euro2012

Are you going to the Euro 2012? If so you may want to read this post or else pay the price of Mobile Extortion!

I thought it was important to warn you re. the telecom costs whilst travelling to the Ukraine and Poland.

Please feel free to pass the information below to others as you see fit.

Voice:

·         In Poland, mobile phone prices are regulated by the European Union. The maximum you will pay for receiving calls there is 0.11€ / min, and for placing calls to any EU country including your own is 0.35€ / min.

·         In Ukraine, however, mobile phone prices are not regulated and prices are thus a lot higher. In general, receiving calls will cost as high as 0.5€ / min and placing calls as high as 1.5€ / min.

Data:

·         Similarly, data roaming prices are “controlled” in Poland and are very often part of your “data bundle” for your blackberry. In Ukraine, they are significantly higher.

For those reasons, and in particular when going to Ukraine, it is advisable for you to follow these simple guidelines :

·         Always use an office phone or a desk phone for making long calls

·         Whenever possible,  indicate to your partners to call you rather than you calling them

·         If you are meant to spend a long time in the country, renting a local cell phone is an option to consider

·         Turn off data roaming in your blackberry if you don’t need it

VIVA FOOTBALL!

Fear of Flying?

Since the pre-requisite to getting anywhere (interesting and exotic) requires flying in an aeroplane I decided to check out just how safe this mandatory exercise actually is

Here are the Real Facts:

1. Airlines do not teach pilots to fly. All pilots have their commercial flying license before they are hired by an airline..
2. Commercial pilots are boring people. Before Airlines hire a pilot, the pilot must take rigorous psychological tests to ensure he/she is a conservative person who is detailed oriented and takes little or no risks in life. Nice people, but boring :)
3. Pilots often go a full career without ever experiencing an engine failure.
4. Airplanes can fly safely to their destination if one engine fails. If flying on a two engine plane, one engine went out, the aircraft could fly with just one. In three engine planes, they could fly with just two. In four engine planes, they could fly with three.
5. If all engines were to stop at cruising height (35,000 feet) an aircraft can glide for 30 minutes before it lands on the ground. With the ability to glide 120 miles because all the controls work as if the engines were still going.
6. No flying bird can stop a jet engine. During the testing phase of jet engines, testers throw whole chickens through the jet engines to ensure they maintain full functionality.
7. Jet engines cost an average of $11,000,000.
8. Airplanes are built on the highest safety bidders. NASA Astronauts fly to space on a spacecraft that is built with equipment from the lowest price bidders, pilots and passengers fly on aircrafts that are built with equipment from the bidders with the highest level of safety.
9. Brand new plane every 4 or 5 years. Because of rigorous maintenance of aircrafts, a typical American commercial aircraft will be completely overhauled every 4 or 5 years through repairs and maintenance.
10. Back up, back up, back up. Every commercial airplane system is built with a primary, auxiliary, back-up, and emergency system (four systems) to ensure the safety of passengers.
11. Most planes can land in 0/0 visibility (heavy fog) because a) most runways are equipped with an electronic glide slope b) pilots are trained to do so c) planes are equipped with low-visibility landing equipment.
12. Ice is safe because of modern “deicing” practices a) new warm water and glycol deicing fluid used as of 1993 b) post-deicing, planes are coated with fluid to keep ice from forming c) the time between deicing and takeoff has been reduced.
13. Our modern electronics and computers make 0/0 (fog, etc.) visibility landings possible.
14. Ground proximity warning system (GPWS) is aboard every commercial airplane. If the plane is coming dangerously close to the ground, a female voice states “Pull up, pull” and warns the pilot.
15. As a back up to air traffic control system, every commercial airplane has traffic and collision avoidance system (TCAS) to monitor and avoid airplanes in the vicinity of the aircraft.
16. Weather radar is abroad every commercial airplane, and the pilots are trained on how to interpret the radar, so they can avoid thunderstorms and other potentially dangerous weather conditions.
17. Lightning may strike an aircraft, but because the aircraft is not connected to the ground, the lightning simply “passes through” the aircraft leaving the passengers and aircraft completely safe.
18. There is no such thing as an “air pocket”. An “air pocket” is a figment of the reporter’s mind. The term “air pocket” was coined during World War I by a journalist trying to describe air turbulence. There is no such thing.
19. Aircrafts can survive the strongest air turbulence, even that of thunderstorms. Check out “Hurricane Hunters”, they chase and fly through hurricanes, and the aircraft stays completely intact. (MY BEST FACT)
20. A “near miss” is categorized as aircrafts which come within 1000 feet of each other. Are planes 900 feet apart in danger of colliding? No.
21. Eastbound flight courses are on odd altitudes and westbound flights are on even altitudes. For example, if a westbound flight is flying at 26,000 feet, and an eastbound flight would be flying at 25,000 feet to maintain the minimal distance of 1,000 feet.
22. Most commercial airline airports have doubled and tripled their security measures preventing people to enter their premises with better fences and security patrols.
23. Post 9/11, the airline pilots are locked into the cockpit and cannot open the door for anyone.
24. According to the NY Times, of the 760 million passengers who flew on commercial airlines from the United States in all of 2006, 760 million passengers flew and lived with a zero fatality rate.

OK I Get it... flying is safe! :)