With the recent plane crashes some local travelers say while the crashes have made them nervous, for the most part, they still feel comfortable flying.
"With the coverage," said a frequent flyer. "It definitely has made me more aware of my surroundings and being on planes."
Since the beginning of the year, several plane crashes have made headlines. For travelers at the SLO County Airport, some say it has made them a little nervous.
"That was my thought the entire time," said one flier visiting from Texas. "Just that anxious feeling of: You never know."
Others tell me that they still feel comfortable flying.
"I feel like aviation is safe, it's been safe for a long time," said one traveler. "There's been a few incidents but overall you can rest in the fact that these pilots want to get home to their kids and family."
"I'm not afraid of flying," said a flyer from Paso Robles. "Things happen and things are what they are."
"Planes have been the safest means of transportation that I'm aware of," said another traveler.
With the coverage of the recent crashes, it's important to add some context.
If you look at statistics and compare the total number of plane accidents in January of this year, to January 2024, 2023, and 2022, there are some key things to note.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, this January had 63 accidents while there were 80 in 2024, 89 in 2023, and 82 crashes in January 2022.
So, while this year we may have seen more reports on plane accidents, so far we still have had less than in recent years.
A flight instructor from Sunwest says that everyone in the aviation community is held to the same standard and receives a lot of training.
"Flying still remains the safest form of traveling," said Patrick Meisser, a flight instructor.
He adds that pilots, no matter if they are flying big jets or smaller aircraft, prepare and practice how to handle a variety of conditions.
"Training and experience," said Meisser. "Bottom line — that's all it is."
