A " Way of Life " threat !

The era of cheap seats on airplanes burst onto the world in 1954 when Boeing rolled out it's new 707 jet airliner.   The fact that this offered to fly over one hundred and fifty passengers on each journey brought cost down to the point that an overseas holiday was now within the financial reach of the average person, prompting an expansion of holiday accommodation and tourist facilities on a world wide basis.

Jet engines quickly replaced the old propeller driven aircraft as the urge for bigger and faster drove design engineers to new heights.    In short order, we saw the first of the new wider body jets that doubled the seating capacity offered by the 707 - and now Airbus has developed a double decker airliner that is presently the largest passenger jet in the world.

Air travel is firmly cemented into the modern lifestyle.    We think nothing of enjoying a holiday in a far country and until recently - safety was not a matter of concern.   We were far safer sitting in a seat miles high in the sky than we would be driving a car to join that flight at an airport - until MH 17 was shot out of the sky by a missile over Ukraine.

The military threat to aircraft has long existed but it was concentrated on keeping countries safe from war planes.   The " Stinger " shoulder fired missile certainly posed a threat to aircraft at low altitude landing and taking off, but jet liners flew above 33,000 feet and this was considered " safe " in international skies.   We ignored war in the world's troublespots - just so long as the air traffic passed overhead at what we considered a safe height.

Just as the aircraft in which we travel constantly add new developments, the weapons of war become more sophisticated, and now there is every chance that Surface to Air Missiles ( SAMS ) are capable of reaching the heights which were previously considered safe - and their spread is reaching more of the world's troublespots.   In some areas, " Terrorist " insurgents have morphed into regular armies and have the backing of the great powers - and their armament industries.

We can no longer safely assume that airliners are risk free travelling over the world's hot spots.  To deliver the cheapest seat prices, airline companies fly the most direct route between destinations, and that is now under review.   Diverting can add thousands of dollars in fuel costs to each flight and it may be necessary to install military quality defence equipment to our airline fleets - and those costs may see the end of the overseas holiday dreams for many people.

Sadly, religious intolerance puts ordinary western citizens in the sights of some terrorist organizations and should they get the means to destroy airliners in flight, there is no doubt that they would proceed with pleasure.    Perhaps we are about to see the dawning of a new era - where the terror war gets the equipment it needs to bring to an end the days of safe, carefree travel to experience the joys of the world.

One thing is painfully certain.   The need to take precautions and avoid flying over danger spots will certainly add to travel costs and whatever security measures that need to be added to planes will certainly apply to ticket prices.   At the same time, the moment we settle into our airline seat we will have a vague feeling at the back of our mind - that travel today is not as blissfully safe as it was a few short years ago.

That missile firing in Ukraine changed the expectation of air safety  - forever !