MasterOfAnxiety

Hey folks, extremely nervous flier here. I understand how much pilots hate this question, and I know a bunch of people are going to jump down my throat about how safe aviation is, but if you could take a minute to reassure me (and then delete the thread if you want), I would really appreciate it.


I've heard that TSA has good pilots. However, I've heard essentially nothing good about the rest of TSA, the CEO, and the future of the company. Poor management, junior manning, corner-cutting...and yes, I read about the $2.5 million fine from the FAA in 2008 for bad maintenance. I also have heard bad things from the maintenance team on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed. (I know the bad reviews are going to come from disgruntled workers with an ax to grind, but still. Some of those reviews were unnerving). With that said, when pilots on this forum make comments like "this is a trash airline" or "everyone is getting out as fast as they can" or "maintenance gets old broken parts" or "those rusty planes in STL are being put back into service" or "UAL is following us around ORD with clipboards watching everything we do"...I gotta say it makes me nervous. So I need to ask, how far do these criticisms go? By "trash airline" do you mean the scheduling just realllly sucks, or something more? Did AA decide not to renew TSA's contract due to safety reasons or something else?


Sorry if I've offended anyone here. I know you're all awesome pilots, but it's the poor management I distrust. I'm aware that TSA has never had a fatal accident, nor has the ERJ-145. And I know 200+ TSA flights go off every day without a hitch. But I fly with you guys on Friday, and I have severe, debilitating anxiety when it comes to flying. If you have any words of reassurance, I would greatly appreciate them.