Zach Wichter

The safety incidents that we've seen are absolutely anomalies. Flying commercially in the U.S. is still the safest way to travel.

The safety incidents that we've seen are absolutely anomalies. Flying commercially in the U.S. is still the safest way to travel.

The safety incidents that we've seen are absolutely anomalies. Flying commercially in the U.S. is still the safest way to travel.

Experts in aviation safety often like to say that aviation safety operates on the so-called Swiss cheese model, where, like, there's no such thing as a 100% safe system, especially when it comes to something as complex as air travel, where there are tens of thousands of flights a day in the U.S.,

Experts in aviation safety often like to say that aviation safety operates on the so-called Swiss cheese model, where, like, there's no such thing as a 100% safe system, especially when it comes to something as complex as air travel, where there are tens of thousands of flights a day in the U.S.,

Experts in aviation safety often like to say that aviation safety operates on the so-called Swiss cheese model, where, like, there's no such thing as a 100% safe system, especially when it comes to something as complex as air travel, where there are tens of thousands of flights a day in the U.S.,

The idea is to try to keep the gaps in the safety system apart from each other and that these incidents only really happen when they align.

The idea is to try to keep the gaps in the safety system apart from each other and that these incidents only really happen when they align.

The idea is to try to keep the gaps in the safety system apart from each other and that these incidents only really happen when they align.

None of what I'm about to say means that air traffic control is unsafe. But the way that the Federal Aviation Administration does its funding is kind of piecemeal. It gets funded by Congress essentially every five years. And because of that structure, it's been really hard for Congress and the agency to fund tech upgrades.

None of what I'm about to say means that air traffic control is unsafe. But the way that the Federal Aviation Administration does its funding is kind of piecemeal. It gets funded by Congress essentially every five years. And because of that structure, it's been really hard for Congress and the agency to fund tech upgrades.

None of what I'm about to say means that air traffic control is unsafe. But the way that the Federal Aviation Administration does its funding is kind of piecemeal. It gets funded by Congress essentially every five years. And because of that structure, it's been really hard for Congress and the agency to fund tech upgrades.

And it's also been really hard to fund the hiring and training of new air traffic controllers. And this is something that experts who are familiar with aviation have sort of been warning about for years, if not decades.

And it's also been really hard to fund the hiring and training of new air traffic controllers. And this is something that experts who are familiar with aviation have sort of been warning about for years, if not decades.

And it's also been really hard to fund the hiring and training of new air traffic controllers. And this is something that experts who are familiar with aviation have sort of been warning about for years, if not decades.

Absolutely, yes.

Absolutely, yes.

Absolutely, yes.

16 years without a fatal commercial airline crash at a U.S. airline. It's a really good track record.

16 years without a fatal commercial airline crash at a U.S. airline. It's a really good track record.