It's hard to figure out why any rational airline would ever be lax about inspection. A single crash is such a high profile media event that delivers such a disproportionate and enduring blow to the company's reputation and the consumer's feeling of security,that you'd imagine airlines would be way over-protective of their fleets. You wouldn' t imagine they're letting dozens and dozens of planes escape routine evaluation and maintenance. Southwest knows how to run their business, I guess, but it seems like a weird place to cut corners. Good for the FAA for reviewing the records and levying a significant, and very public, fine, though, that woke Southwest up and put their competitors on notice. That fine may well have saved lives. This is why we need government in certain industries. The Libertarian solution here -- that a plane would crash and the market would punish the irresponsible -- would be sort of shitty for all involved.(Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Zoomar.) WHAT? WE WORRY?
It's hard to figure out why any rational airline would ever be lax about inspection. A single crash is such a high profile media event that delivers such a disproportionate and enduring blow to the company's reputation and the consumer's feeling of security,that you'd imagine airlines would be way over-protective of their fleets. You wouldn' t imagine they're letting dozens and dozens of planes escape routine evaluation and maintenance. Southwest knows how to run their business, I guess, but it seems like a weird place to cut corners. Good for the FAA for reviewing the records and levying a significant, and very public, fine, though, that woke Southwest up and put their competitors on notice. That fine may well have saved lives. This is why we need government in certain industries. The Libertarian solution here -- that a plane would crash and the market would punish the irresponsible -- would be sort of shitty for all involved.(Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Zoomar.) 
