"Travelers shrug off MacArthur Airport safety concerns"

Friday, September 8, 2006

Islip: Travelers shrug off airport safety concerns
BY COLLIN NASH
Newsday (NY)


Travelers flying out of  Thursday reacted nonchalantly to reports of safety
deficiencies at two Southwest Airlines concourses at the facility.

"You spend so little time in the terminal, you tend not to worry much about
a few code violations," said Bill Mills of Williston Park, who had dropped
off his son, Bill, for a Southwest flight to Baltimore. "The safety of the
plane is what I'm most concerned about."

Islip Town and airline officials acknowledged this week that the first
Southwest concourse, which has been in operation since 2004, was plagued
with design and construction problems, including the number and location of
exits, the number of toilets and the type of fire insulation.

The opening of a second Southwest concourse scheduled for July was postponed
indefinitely because of a number of safety issues. Among other things, town
building and fire inspectors found insufficient smoke detectors and fire
sprinklers that needed replacement.

Robert Wass, an electrician from Smithtown, said he thinks all the talk
about safety concerns is political. "I've never seen this place so nice,"
said Wass, who had just checked in to board a Southwest flight to Phoenix.
"This place was built by union workers and they go by the book. Where were
the inspectors?"

Some said that while the safety issues have crossed their minds, the
problems don't appear troublesome enough to affect their travel plans.

"I'm somewhat concerned, but what am I going to do?" said Tobie McGovern, a
stay-at-home mom from Seaford headed to Portland, Ore. "My main concern is
how safe the plane is."

In the post-Sept. 11 era, said Seila Mejias of Hampton Bays, airline
travelers such as her mother, Reina, who was bound for Orlando, can do
without more safety concerns.

"We have enough to worry about with the planes," Seila said. 

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