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Industry Accountability
Aviation liability and security is a double-edged sword for airlines and aircraft manufacturers. On one hand, they have reputations to uphold and liability insurance to buy; on the other hand, they are simply businesses looking to cut costs. At the end of the day, the aviation industry's main priority is protecting expenses and profitability and unfortunately for air travelers, safety and security measures do not make money for airlines. If airlines and aircraft manufacturers cut safety or security measures with cheaper options, they know that a killed or injured passenger or crew member may make a liability claim, but their insurance pays it, meaning it's cheaper than lasting safety and security improvements. The consequence is an industry tempted to function at the bare minimum level required under official regulations, meaning we continue suffering aviation safety and security lapses which yield disastrous results. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the government agency responsible for ensuring our country's safe air travel. Most people do not realize that the government agencies have failed to agree on a definition of safety or uniform guidelines.
INDUSTRY
Without a sanctioned definition, safety is only a matter of perspective and therefore a victim of the unyielding, cost cutting of the free enterprise industry. Motley Rice considers duty to public service a priority far above airlines' profit margins and cost ratios. Improvements in and faster implementation of aviation safety and security are changes that consumers should demand and that Motley Rice is willing to speak out on and force through legal action. One of the most recognized voices on aviation safety and security is Motley Rice attorney, pilot, aviation professor, and former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo. The author of one of Business Week's 1997 top 10 business books of the year and New York Times bestseller, Flying Blind, Flying Safe, Schiavo brought to Motley Rice both the aviation experience and "take no prisoners" attitude that Motley Rice admires. She has also served as an on-air aviation analyst on all major U.S. television networks and was the first Inspector General of the Department of Transportation to carry a law enforcement badge. She used the federal criminal laws to prosecute aviation crimes, as well as investigate airline industry practices which jeopardize us all. Nicknamed "Maximum Mary" during her service as federal prosecutor for always demanding the maximum sentence, Schiavo is leading Motley Rice's aviation team forward with her motto, as she stated in Business Week, "If you can't [create change], you aren't accomplishing much."
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