Has American air travel become unsafe? While there hasn't been any fatal commercial airline crashes in years, some are concerned that the next one might not be far away. Is it possible that they are just being overly cautious?

The New York Times reported that the near-miss incidents at airports and runways has increased in the past decade. There were three of them in July of 2023. One database identified 300 reported incidents of near collisions involving commercial airlines over the past year with some planes passing within feet of each other on overcrowded runways. Pilots and air traffic controllers are concerned; saying that everyone's bracing for a castastrophe.

With about 3 million people flying in the US everyday, 310 of the nation's 313 air traffic control facilities are understaffed and controllers are overworked. Many work six-day weeks. Pilots are in short supply after airlines offered buyouts during the pandemic and their replacements have less experience.

Only 43 of the nation's more than 500 commercial airports have surface detection systems to alert controllers that planes are on collision courses. As a result, near-crashes are becoming frightenly commonplace. The FAA and the airlines have been purshing their luck and if nothing changes it will not be long until that luck runs out. What should be done to address this safety risk?

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