If you only had to pay for one fourth of your harmful actions or serve one fourth of your jail term, would you be happy? On average major airlines only have to pay a quarter for every dollar of fines that they are issued by the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration (Staller, Most Fines Get Watered Down, http://www.usatoday.com). This can be true in cases that involve forgetting to complete paperwork to not screening luggage for explosives. Some people believe that air travel is one of the safest forms of transportation, while others question its safety. This report will examine the factors, points of views, and statistics of airline incidents that involve safety.When flying, the passengers of a commercial airline have many more things to worry about then getting to their destination on time. They have to be concerned about their personal safety. Many politicians and airplane passengers should and are worried about airline safety. Some of these worries include what condition the plane is in, who is flying the plane, and the new threat of what some experts call, "falling baggage."Most federal regulators give airlines flexibility, but a typical maintenance schedule is usually followed by all of the airlines according to Boeing Corporation, a manufacturer of commercial planes (Maintenance Issues Related To Safety, http://www.boeing.com). Flight crews and on-board computers can usually monitor most of the planes interior components and its engines, but routine inspections are usually performed to inspect the plane's surface area and other places that aren't monitored by computers. Several times a day the airline personnel perform "walk around" checks in which they look for leakage of fluids and problems with surface area of the plane. These problems include dents and cracks. Every three to five days the plane's lighting, landing gear, fluid levels, and exterior controls, and the flaps and rudders, are checked for irregularities and problems. At the interval of eight months, a plane is checked for its internal controls, hydraulic systems, and emergency equipment. Every twelve to seventeen months the mechanics use sophisticated tools to check for wear, corrosion, and cracks in the surface of the plane, this could not have been detected with the naked eye. Every three to five years each plane is taken apart and put back together. All of the major components are replaced and everything is check for wear and tear.With the increase of the use of technology on airplanes, most pilots do not have much to do on their trans-continental flights. Current FAA regulations limit pilots to eight hours of flying a day, provided that they get eight hours of rest on the same day (Levin & Woodyard, American's Pilots Have Dozed Off, http://www.usatoday.com). The current regulations also prevent pilots from taking walks and napping during flights. Every pilot is supposed to get eight hours of rest, but some do not because of the extensive amount of time that it takes...
