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http://news.sg.msn.com/topstories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=313935Reports have surfaced of a Thai passenger jet which crashed on the resort island of Phuket not too long ago, killing 88 people in Thailand's worst aviation disaster in a decade. Though the cause of the crash has yet to be determined, the plane's two flight recorders have been found, and results are expected in a week or so.
Orient Thai, the parent company of the budget carrier, will definitely be reeling from the disaster. The reputation of their company hangs directly on the outcome of the analysis; for now all Orient Thai can do is wait. If they are found to be at fault, government imposed fines and a huge amount of bad press will head their way. Be it poor workmanship or inferior materials, they would have a lot of explaining to do. Orient Thai will be taken to task by the government, for ruining the reputations of not just their airline, but many other Thai airlines as well. Thailand's economy, already stagnant since the military Coup D'etat, would suffer yet another crippling blow.
In fact, the entire budget carrier industry will be implicated, not just those based in Thailand. Budget airlines, still a relatively new industry, lack the confidence and trust of consumers. People still prefer to stick with tried and tested, established airlines with long but accident-free histories. It tends to be the less affluent or those with reduced circumstances who do not seem to mind the risk which budget airlines are so commonly associated with.
All these are, sadly, still no consolation to the grieving families. Though Thai Airways is "sending a family assistance team to Phuket to help deal with relatives," a customary course of action, matters can still get messy, with disagreements over the amount of compensation leading to lawsuits filed against both parties.
It would certainly be best if the crash never happened, but the thing is it has, and many innocent people have died. Orient Thai has to find out exactly what happened and clean up its act. Other budget airlines have to do the same: learn from this aviation disaster, and make the necessary changes. The budget airline industry is still a burgeoning one, and unless such tragedies are averted in the future, it will not take flight.
1 Comments:
Commentaries demonstrate a good mix of knowledge of the issues and empathy for the families of soldiers (1st article) and victims(2nd article). Some bits of odd expression though (e.g. "the United States people").
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