I agree with a lot of John Farleys post, nevertheless, regarding
with the accident rate being as low as it is where is the argument that the airlines need tighter regulation?
The industry has changed in many ways, so that could be an argument for reviewing regulation. And obviously pilots who worry fatigue may be an increasing problem that affects safety won't rejoice to read the next accident report where fatigue was a contributing factor just because "we've already improved the overall accident rate". Improving safety needs to be a continuous process, and it should be done proactively. More accidents due to fatigue would obviously make an excellent argument for tighter regulation but there shouldn't be a need to wait for more accidents to happen. Call me naive, maybe it's wishful thinking. And some pilots may, not entirely voluntarily, leave airline flying because of their concerns, but expecting that every pilot who experiences fatigue at the same time is on top of his game to go job hunting and completely change his career may not be entirely realistic. Some may continue airline flying until an accident happens. That could also be an argument for tighter regulation