Lion air toothless roar

Lion air toothless roar

Airline safety in Indonesia is once again on the radar. Just
recently two planes crashed, while three performed emergency
landings. The loss of lives and the emotional stress for
survivors and relatives of the deceased are powerful reminders of
the potential hazards associated with airline travel.

I'm sure many of us whom have flown since the tragic air crash
in Medan have given it at least some passing thought as we taxied
down the runway. You would also think that airline operators
would have stepped up safety procedures and tried to allay any
fears that passengers may have.

Not quite so. My Lion Air flight (JT 366) from Surabaya to
Balikpapan recently showed how little has changed. The hydraulics
of the rear door of the plane did not function well enough to
automatically close the door, and it took two cabin crew and some
outside crew to push and shove the door into place. I presume
that one of the cabin crew tried to report this to the pilot, but
as the intercom did not work, and the plane had started to move
anyway, she shrugged her shoulders and left it there.

For the rest it was a pretty standard flight, i.e., reading
lights didn't work, air conditioning vents were broken, and,
after landing, the back door could only be opened after the joint
and considerable efforts of two cabin crew. I was just glad to
get out in one piece. I would have had no confidence whatsoever
in either the plane or the cabin crew in case something had gone
wrong.

Clearly one could question the need for luxury issues like
automatically closing doors, reading lights, intercom, and air
conditioning; as long as the engines work and the wings hang on,
what's there to worry about it?

I have flown in Indonesia for about 13 years and apparently
survived all of it, so it can't be all that bad. Still the
flagrant disregard of standard plane maintenance and safety
procedures, especially in a week of daily media attention to
airline safety, makes me worry about flying with Lion Air again.

I am sure Lion Air wants to avoid air crashes; it is bad
business whichever way you look at it. It will need to realize,
however, that without stepping up maintenance and safety
procedures, its next fatal accident is waiting to happen. I
single out Lion Air here, but have flown with almost all of
Indonesia's widely proliferating air lines.

And as many of us know, examples like the one I have given are
only the tip of the iceberg. I hope that recent words by the
President and the Minister of Transportation will result in a
tangible improvement in the quality of air travel. At least I
earn enough to select the safest carrier; a choice that is not
available to many other passengers.

ERIK MEIJAARD, Samarinda, East Kalimantan