Southwest Airlines Chicago 'Mishap' And the Media Coverage.....

I think it is really unfair how the newsmedia is depicting this mishap. Sure one person died - a child. I feel deeply saddened by his death. BUT - calling this a serious and deadly crash is just a little over the top. I'm sure since this mishap more people died around this country in car crashes and other accidents. I think we will find out that this was weather related when its all said and done.

The fact that an airplane was involved in this death of a child - FOX in particular is calling it a "Deadly Crash". No one in the plane was killed - but - I think rather unfairly - they are dumping on Southwest Airlines and there probably is some politics involved with dumping on Midway Airport and the Chicago mayor. I think there are some that want a new airport in Peotone, Illinois and people will be using this mishap to push for that.

To prevent such mishaps

Southwest is a Repube supporter. Methinks this event was a godsend (if one can use the word "god" in the context of these scum) for Bu$hCo. Pump up the volume on "Deadly Crash", enlist SW personnel to make loud long public mea culpas, and make sure the Miami murder tragedy gets wiped off of the radar, PRONTO. Mission Accomplished.

What they could do would be to expand Midway and knock some houses down in a block or two; It'd be way cheaper than a few billion for Peotone, plus all the gas people would use to get to Peotone. I would give the people at least twice the value of the houses and they could get away from the airport noise. Or no more landings in snowstorms

is not that one child was killed but that the very real potential was there for a whole lot more fatalities. If you have seen a map of the airport and the proximity of the homes, you can understand.

The runway was in no condition to accept landings even though other planes did land safely. And lengthening the runways is not the solution. You try knocking down occupied homes and you will have a series of lawsuits that will stretch for years as residents fight to save their homes.

The solution is to build another airport far from any residential districts and turn Midway into a general aviation facility. Small private plane and small multi-engine aircraft would continue to use it but airliners would move, first to OHareand then to the new airport.

To the extreme, you might want to close Midway altogether, tear it down and build homes. But with weather as it has always been in Chicago, and the weather changing so drastically now, having a major airport in the middle of a bedroom community is suicide.

friend who lives about 4 houses from 55th street right there east of Central. WHen I go to Midway I park at her house instead of paying for parking at the airport. The city would have to use eminent domain to get those houses or businesses to move. I don't agree with building Peotone, especially when jet fuel and other fuels will be getting way more expensive. I think air travel will be a thing of the past fairly soon, like maybe 10-20 years. So I think it is crazy to ruin good farmland for an airport.

OHare is pretty much in the middle of a lot of office buildings and hotels. All airports immediately attract humans in the form of hotels, houses, etc.

I suspect no planes should have been landing there during that snowstorm; that airport leaves no room for error of any kind.

High-speed trains would be more efficient, more comfortable, and provide better service than planes
for any flight less than about 2 hours.

Short-hop flights are not very profitable for the carriers, since they use a lot of energy taking off,
and have all the airport and security overhead of any other flight with a lot less payback.

Midway is mostly short-hop flights. It wouldn't be so busy if we had a decent rail system.

what will replace it?

In response to some of the other comments - Chicago has spent 'kabillions' of dollars redoing Midway Airport. They have a great new terminal and have just finished building another remote parking lot. I use Midway at least twice a month. It's close, convenient and much more user friendly than O'Hare. I know if they build in Peotone - I won't support it.