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NEWS > BUSINESS > NORTHWEST AIRLINES TO INCLUDE RECLINERS, SOOTHING MUSIC IN COCKPITS
NORTHWEST AIRLINES TO INCLUDE RECLINERS, SOOTHING MUSIC IN COCKPITS
October 27 2009
Eagan, MN – With the recent mystery and controversy swirling around Northwest Airlines flight 188 the airline, and the FAA are falling under a great deal of scrutiny. That incident, in which the pilots overshot their landing zone by 150 miles after 
reportedly falling asleep, has brought a great deal of focus on the nature of air travel, the stress out on pilots, and the general safety of air flight in the United States.
That controversy has put Northwest on the hot seat. Having to conduct a major investigation and assuage customers about the safety of travel on their airline, the company which like all airlines has been struggling through the recession. Despite that negative attention, the company has decided to continue with its plans to redesign cockpits of their planes. Those plans, which were drafted in late May, include seats that recline to a sleeping position, soothing music piped in through the intercom, and a hot cocoa maker on the main instrument display. The decision comes at the behest of the pilot’s union which exerted the redesign during a contract renewal late last year. Both sides do not believe it will be a problem.
“Yes, we have decided to follow through on the redesign of cockpits throughout the 
line. We understand the public’s concern because of the recent incident but we want to assure all of our loyal flying partners that that incident was isolated and is not in any way indicative of behaviour by our pilots,” said a spokesperson for the airline. “These new additions to the cockpit area are designed to alleviate the stress associated with long term hauls and are not meant for napping. We feel, as does the pilots union, that a well rested and stress-free pilot is the best person to be flying a plane. We all believe that these new additions to our cockpits will actually make air flight with Northwest safer and more comfortable for everyone.”
Pilots will also be provided with ‘Snuggies’ and scented candles, though the airline continues to insist that such affectations should not be associated with bed time.
“Statistically speaking air flight has long been the safest form of travel. Of course you do much less of it so there are far fewer opportunities to crash or suffer some kind of catastrophe. Unfortunately when planes do crash they are often felled by simple human error or an inability for those humans to overcome the mechanical difficulties presented to them,” said Scrape TV Airline analyst Jeffry Johnson. “Being a professional pilot is lot more stressful than people realize. Not only are you charged with the safety of hundreds of people every day, the actual physical task of flying the plane and the associated boredom can make the whole process extremely taxing and if these new additions can help to alleviate that stress than airlines and passengers will be all the better for it.”
Officially, it’s believed the pilots involved in the controversial incident were on their laptops and not sleeping. Such behaviour is frowned upon by the FAA and the pilot union.
“Ultimately what we all want is safety. Stress helps no one, never has, and this will go a long way to making sure that the pilots won’t be affected by this ever again. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this kind of redesign making its way into cockpits of all other major airlines in the near future,” continued Johnson. “The truth is these pilots were likely just bad seeds. After all, they didn’t have relaxing music and reclining chairs and they still likely fell asleep. It’s these kinds of people that need to be out of the business. We don’t need to see everyone punished because of a few bad seeds.”
Both pilots in the Northwest incident have been suspended, giving them an opportunity to catch up on their sleep.
William Ashford, Business Correspondent
NEWS > BUSINESS > NORTHWEST AIRLINES TO INCLUDE RECLINERS, SOOTHING MUSIC IN COCKPITS
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