Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Don't for one moment think that the fighting in the middle East and the Ukraine won't have a potential knock on effect for the safety of some airlines, as there are now far more small AA missiles and heavy machine guns lying around in those two areas, even before you consider the weapons for sale in the US.
You also have to add in the falling standards of the new co-pilots (The self sponsored in particular) and the fact that most of the high time captains have left or are about to leave. It's not just personal relationship or health issues that can cause depression, BUT financial ones in particular. Many airline co-pilots have borrowed serious amounts from a bank to pay for their training and can often find is very difficult to live on their actual take home pay, unless they live in an RV at the airport, eat tinned food (Or cabin leftovers) and don't have any children to support. They often find that their dream job has turned into a financial nightmare and their freedom has been replaced by a new contract that makes them a company slave. Some junior captains who had to pay for their own type rating are not that much better off.
The attitude of many budget airlines has also been evolving into one that chases every last penny by recruiting the cheapest staff available, overworking them and then trying to save even more by doing silly things like making sure no captain asks for extra fuel on top of the legal minumum and firing any that write too many defects in the tech log.
Last edited by skyship007; 21st Apr 2015 at 22:32.