Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 25, 1992 TAG: 9203250093
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Short
Some passengers may even refuse to board USAir flights after Sunday night's crash at La Guardia Airport that killed 27.
But there probably won't be enough frightened passengers to make much of a difference in USAir's business, and they won't stay scared for long, aviation analysts and industry executives said.
Roanoke Valley travel agents said some customers expressed concern by asking what kind of jet they were booked on.
"There have been some comments," said Ted Moomaw, president of World Travel Inc. in Roanoke, "but not to the effect of, `Take me off USAir' or `I don't want to fly to New York.' "
Some travelers, he said, have called to be sure they are not "on a prop jet and are on a pure jet." The plane that went down at New York's LaGuardia airport was a Fokker F-28, a jet used frequently by airlines on shorter runs with limited demand.
"So far," said Gene Swartz of Travelmasters Inc. in Roanoke, "nobody has gone and changed a flight because of it."
USAir spokeswoman Lynn McCloud said it was too soon to see a drop in bookings, but she did not expect a noticeable decline.
Although planes are statistically one of the safest modes of travel, many people are nervous about flying. Air crashes worsen those fears.
USAir canceled all its advertising through the weekend - standard practice among airlines that have just had tragic accidents. Other airlines also pulled their ads.
Business writer Daniel Howes contributed to this story.
by CNB