The Nation - News from Aug. 30, 1989

The perception that air travel in the United States has become less safe is widespread, despite government statistics to the contrary, according to a Gallup Poll. Telephone interviews with 1,229 randomly selected adults Aug. 15 to 18, a month after the crash of a United Airlines DC-10 in Sioux City, Iowa, found nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans saying they have lost confidence in the safety and efficiency of airlines in recent years. Almost half (45%) of Americans who travel by commercial airliner say they at least sometimes feel frightened when they fly. However, nearly three-fourths (73%) feel that even with recent safety problems, air travel is still basically safe compared with other means of transportation. The survey has an error rate of plus or minus 4 percentage points.