Quality in Airline Safety: Quality Methods and Tools Are Needed to Manage New Directions

Approximately 650 million people fly on U.S. certificated air carriers annually (Department of Transportation: Federal Aviation Administration, 2003). Although statistically air transportation is one of the safest modes of travel, the few airline accidents that occur never fail to garner substantial media attention and concern of the public. The responsibility to seek ways to improve air transportation safety falls on all involved in aviation - practitioners and educators alike. The purpose of this article is to provide, through a review of literature, a brief examination of the past, present, and future state of efforts to address airline safety, and to encourage educators to become involved in promoting the use of quality tools to improve safety.