Originally Posted by
RoyHudd
Getting to be a veritable blood-bath. Extreme criticism, but just take a look at the country's safety record...atrocious. Who is responsible? Indo regulatory authorities/IATA? There is clearly a big problem with standards there, and people are losing their lives.
Please can somebody with responsibility offer a response. I fly there frequently, and I can say with knowledge and conviction that, Garuda aside, the local carriers of this huge country are downright dangerous. Pick any, and review their record, and compare to other countries in the region.
I fly to Manado occasionally and what you say is true. I caught a flight from Singapore to Manado back in 2001, flight MI274 ( Silkair ) and due to poor visibility we were not able to land, after the 4th or 5th failed approach the pilot decided to divert to Hassanudin, Makassar in South Sulawesi as we were running low on fuel.
Upon arriving we were given a choice to stay in Makassar for the night or board a 737/Mandala airlines and arrive in Manado the same night. The cockpit door was not closed and the Captain occasionally leant over his seat to talk to one of the female flight attendants standing in the isle, this went on for about 40 minutes in between taking off and landing. The most surprising thing was that the other passengers did not seem disturbed about it which seems to indicate that this happens frequently.