In the wake of three deadly plane crashes in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Alaska, as well as a handful of engine mishaps, many travelers have grown anxious about future travel plans.
But according to Hani Mahmassani, a professor of transportation at Northwestern University, flying is still the safest way to travel.
"From a personal safety standpoint, I wouldn't be overly concerned, at this point, about air travel," Mahmassani said. "Flights are continuing at a normal rate ... In a sense, it's safer to travel because everybody's really careful now because of what happened."
Mahmassani did, however, acknowledge the staff shortages and technological advancements that have been neglected recently. Paying constant attention to the implementation of new technologies and the maintenance of a robust air traffic control staff is the only way to ensure safe air travel, he said.
"A lot of [air traffic control] is a combination of what computers are doing and what humans are doing," he said. "When you have these very complex cyber-physical systems that are stressed — that's what we are dealing with right now — that's where ... we need to essentially invest in the system, both in terms of human resources and in terms of technology."
According to a recent report from the Federal Aviation Administration, air traffic control booths are severely understaffed nationwide. The report states that, as of September 2023, only about 70% of staffing positions were filled by fully-certified controllers on average.
Another FAA report obtained by the Associated Press stated that on the night of the D.C. collision, one controller was communicating with both helicopters and planes — a job that is typically split between two controllers.
Low staffing numbers likely won't be helped by President Donald Trump's federal hiring freeze, which he enacted on his first day in office. The memorandum, issued nine days before the crash in D.C., prevents any currently-vacant position from being filled and stalls the creating of any new positions.
"This probably is a call to action, if you want to call it that," Mahmassani said. "The air traffic control system is something we take for granted. It needs attention."
As for advice to nervous fliers, Mahmassani said the only thing to do is sit back and trust the highly-trained pilots and air traffic controllers behind each flight.
"The question is really addressing the staff shortages that we've had and making sure the most competent and qualified people are hired for the job," he said.
