ON THE STREET

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "What do you think should be done to improve air travel safety?"

Pansy Snowden, Jackson

"Buy new planes. I understand most of the domestic fleet is over 20 years old."

Valerie Wondrick, Cape Girardeau

"I know they're doing everything they can as far as inspectors. We don't have enough federal inspectors to go out and check. I know for a fact that the airlines, when they know they are going to be inspected, will improve things so that they look good. I know that...they (the inspectors) tell them they're coming...so they're kind of prepared. I think we give them too much of a leeway to get by with things. They're an industry just like any other industry that wants to make a profit and they will sacrifice safety for that."

Faith Ervin, Cape Girardeau

"I think they should redo the air traffic control system. More modern equipment. Their equipment is really old."

Esme Gibson, Pasadena, Calif.

"I think that the FAA ought to tighten down on the rules and make sure they do as much inspecting as they can."

Tony Jestis, St. Louis

"Better inform the public. Airline travel is the safest way to travel anymore. There are less accidents per capita than any other form of travel in the world. The problem is that when we do kill people we kill them at about two or three hundred at a time. Nothing needs to be done to improve air travel other than maybe allow the FAA more money so they can go out and perform more inspections. It's not that they aren't doing their job it's just that they don't have the money to spend the time with the air carriers that they need to spend. And so they're depending on the honor system.