‘On everyone’s mind’: How Wichita travelers feel about flying after plane crash in DC
A steady stream of travelers were walking in and out of the Eisenhower National Airport on Friday, two days after a Wichita to Washington, D.C., flight collided with an army helicopter in its descent into the Ronald Reagan National Airport.
While Wednesday’s news may turn some new travelers away from flying, it is the first fatal commercial plane crash in the United States since 2009.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly emphasized that point at a press conference in Wichita on Thursday.
“There is probably no safer mode of transportation,” Kelly said. “When all is said and done, this one was probably an avoidable accident, so I think people should carry on with their plans.”
Wichita’s direct flight from Wichita to D.C. resumed Friday after being canceled Thursday due to limited capacity at D.C’s airport. The airport has a table set up to honor victims of Wichita’s plane crash.
What Wichita travelers say
Two travelers flying out of Wichita that day had different levels of experiences with flying — one young flyer, Samantha Stolt, was flying to Corpus Christi, Texas, with her mom, only her second time out of state. Patrick Rossol-Allison, on the other hand, is a frequent traveler who was flying back to Seattle after a work trip brought him to Wichita.
“I was just kind of really blown away,” Stolt said about learning about the crash Wednesday. “Yeah, just over the loss of life ... which was so huge.”
Patrick Rossol-Allison said being in Wichita shortly after the crash, the memory of Wednesday’s events weigh heavy.
“I was flying into Wichita yesterday. And that was, of course, on everybody’s mind on the plane as well. It was pretty quiet,” Rossol-Allison said. “When the plane landed, the pilot or the flight attendant made an announcement about that, and just said, you know, ‘Just know we’re thinking about that.’ I’m glad they did that.”
When asked how she felt about flying Friday, Stolt said she was feeling anxious.
“I’m little apprehensive about it. But I hope at least that today will go good,” she said. “When you hear stuff on the news, I’m sure lots of people hear and go, ‘Oh, that’s states over. That’s way down there.’ But now, being in an airport, getting on a plane, it relates a little bit more to us today.”
When it comes to his feelings toward flying that Friday, Rossol-Allison said they hadn’t changed at all.
“Obviously you never want some something like that to happen,” Rossol-Allison said. “But it is extremely rare, it is very, very safe. And the pilots are very well trained.”
