Originally Posted by
wheelsright
Snip:
I suspect that many pilots and passengers would also have chosen not to fly.
I doubt this very much. The passengers are very likely to assume the Pilot is a professional, or an individual exercising a high degree of professional type competency. Pilots are very often considered very responsible high achievers, unless there was something blindingly obvious that was wrong with an aircraft or a proposed trip, the man on the street will take it as read that all is above board, because aviation sits in an area where the public perception is that safety and professionalism are the foundations the industry/pastime is based on. And generally it is.
However Eutychus has provided ‘us’ (if I’ve understood him/her) with a view to a degree from the passenger viewpoint. When paying for a service there is a presumption that they are in receipt of a professionally run, appropriately administered and insured flight. A bit of this is caveat emptor, buyer beware, but I suggest the ‘pedestal’ that aviation sits on makes due diligence checks less likely, and as Eu asks, where does the layman start, and with what questions. You get in a taxi in the UK you can see a plate that identifies it as certified for hire and reward, you should also see the drivers Taxi ID too, (disregarding Uber etc). There’s nothing like that available to a passenger when boarding a light SEP, one crew, in sleet and heavy mist to fly UK to Holland to indicate they’ve chosen a ‘proper’ operation. They pax put their trust in us, the industry.