Travelers Seen as Undeterred by Accident
USAir has temporarily pulled its TV ads to avoid the possibility of a promotion being followed by a grisly news report on the carnage caused by Friday’s collision at Los Angeles International Airport. SkyWest Airlines, seeking to ease bad memories, has renumbered its late afternoon Los Angeles-Palmdale flight from No. 5569 to No. 5445.
Other than such cosmetic changes, air travel industry experts say that the runway accident between a USAir jetliner and a SkyWest commuter plane that left 34 dead is likely to have little effect on the carriers or on overall ridership at the Los Angeles airport.
“What we’ve found is that the public has a relatively short memory,” said Richard Livingston, a spokesman for the Arlington, Va.-based Airline Passengers Assn. of North America. “Following an accident, there’s a slight dip in passenger patronage but it’s very short-lived. Within two weeks, passengers regain confidence.”
Friday’s accident could not have come at a worse time for any airline. The industry already is reeling from a double whammy brought on by the recession and the Persian Gulf War.
USAir, hurt by slumping ridership and rising fuel costs, suffered $454 million in net losses in 1990. Spokesman Dave Shipley said Monday that the circumstances of the accident--safety officials are focusing on the role of an air traffic controller in allowing two planes on the runway at the same time--should serve to soften any negative impact on the airline.
“This one was obviously not our fault,” he said, “so people have not lost faith in us.”
Ron Reber, vice president of marketing for SkyWest, acknowledged Monday that “there’s no question the flying public reacts to this kind of news initially with a degree of apprehension. But in this case . . . it doesn’t appear from what we know today to be negligence on our part and thus the impact should be mitigated somewhat.”
Besides, Reber said, “our traffic is such a high percentage of time-sensitive business traffic that the choice to fly or drive is not a choice. You’re in business and you’ve got to travel if you’re in business.”
Regardless, Reber said, the number of the fatal flight was changed “because it’s a bit disconcerting to some people.”
With Los Angeles residents having other airport options including Ontario, Long Beach, Burbank and Orange County, experts say that the potential exists for uneasy travelers to reroute themselves. They add that convenience, price and fear of terrorism are more likely to influence the choices passengers make.
“We’ve already seen a shift away from LAX due to the situation in the Gulf,” said Leslie Pontious, chairman of the board of Assn. of Retail Travel Agents. “Historically, a single incident has a minor impact over a short period.”
On Monday, Southland travel agents reported few calls from travelers seeking to change their plans because of the accident.
“There are always some people who won’t travel right after an incident, but they probably don’t travel much in the first place,” said Susan Tanzman-Kaplan, a Los Angeles travel agent who is a director of American Society of Travel Agents.
At the airport, Tammy Puckett of Charlotte, N.C, was waiting Monday afternoon to board a flight home after a weekend visiting friends in Los Angeles.
“When I first heard about (the accident) I didn’t want to jump right on a plane again,” said the 29-year-old insurance saleswoman. “(But) it doesn’t bother me, really.
“Besides, I had already bought the ticket.”
Times staff writers John H. Lee and Tim Waters contributed to this story.
