How much is your safety worth?

It's not every day that the news media publishes sensible information, but yesterday MSNBC made a valiant effort.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30809955

The article touched on a key problem in the aviation industry- passengers expect to be flown safely to their destination, and pay next to nothing for that privilege. With airline prices as low as they are, airlines have to cut back on costs. Things like good maintenance, fuel and wages are probably the most expensive items on the list of costs.

When the crew is overworked, fatigued and underpaid, mistakes become more numerous. The crash of Colgan 3407 shows how fast a seemingly normal flight can end in a smoking hole in the ground.

Next time you board a plane, do you want the pilots to be on their omteenth leg at night, in the clouds, dodging thunderstorms in icing when they are tired and worrying about the bills? No, you want the industry's best pilots to be fresh and ready for the challenge. Nowadays, the pay and working conditions are driving the finest pilots out of the cockpit. Think about that nest time you grumble because you have to pay $200 to fly from Boston to Miami.