() Every day in the U.S., 2.9 million people catch a flight, which is still considered the safest way to travel. But now, one in four Americans say they’ve become more nervous about flying because of the recent string of airline issues that do not seem to be improving.
Nearly 200 passengers and six crew members were headed from Denver to Miami when something happened with the landing gear. The plane was evacuated on the runway, and passengers, who had to use slides to exit, said they heard a boom at the time of the incident.
The FAA is investigating. Data from the agency shows there have been at least 134 commercial airplane incidents so far this year. At least seven of these included near-misses, when two aircraft are dangerously close to colliding.
Just last Friday, passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank, Calif., to Las Vegas experienced an alarming situation: Within minutes of takeoff, the plane plunged nearly 500 feet to avoid another plane. Two Southwest Airlines flight attendants were injured.
“It was probably around 8 to 10 seconds where we just felt like the plane was in a freefall,” passenger Steve Ulasewicz said. “You’re like, ‘All right, this is it. We’re done, we’re going down.”
Last week, a Delta Airlines pilot flying a plane from Minneapolis to North Dakota had to take a sudden, aggressive maneuver to avoid a B-52 bomber. The pilot said he wasn’t notified about the military aircraft, despite the nearby Air Force base having radar.
These latest incidents come seven months after an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided in the air near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Sixty-seven people died.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he’s spoken to the CEO of American after the most recent incident, in Denver. He reminds airline passengers to leave their luggage behind in an evacuation situation.
Former FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen said the uptick in incidents in 2025 could spur stakeholders to re-examine industry safety. He stressed to that aviation remains a safe mode of transportation, but said an increase in flights may be putting pressure on the system.
“We owe it to the flying public to give them that sense of trust that every time they fly, they’re going to get to their destination safely and without incident,” Nolen said.
