With all the media attention that Southwest is receiving lately for the lack of maintenance on their fleet, it really makes one think that Southwest and other airlines are getting away with more than just cracks in the fuselage and other maintenance issues. Oh, there are other airlines out there with the same problems as Southwest – it’s just that Southwest got caught! It’s unbelievable that it takes the FAA to expose this whole thing and make them repair their own planes. All airlines should strive for safety as the number one priority. Most airlines make statements that customer safety is their number one priority, but is it really? Are these statements just commonplace corporate babble? With the cost of fuel nowadays and increasing competition, are most airlines being forced to put safety second behind their profitability?

I fly a lot back and forth between Washington, DC and Orlando, Fl and last year made about 6 trips in total and flew Southwest Airlines. My spouse and daughter accompanied me and as a consumer I am outraged by the news that came out concerning these safety issues. Why didn’t Southwest just ground the planes and fix the safety issues that the FAA revealed in March of 2007? It’s a real shame that the FAA has to issue an Airworthiness Directive to make Southwest comply. A lot of people are upset that the FAA didn’t act sooner, but I believe that the airline that states customer safety is number one should have acted on just the smallest piece of information concerning safety. Either way, I will most likely not be flying Southwest any time soon.

Please let me know about what you think and voice your opinion right here. Thanks.

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