Frontline’s ‘Flying Cheap’ works around unavailable paper trail with interviews
PBS Frontline contributor Miles O’Brien explores airline safety at regional airlines a year after a Continental Airlines-partner flight crashed into a home in Buffalo, N.Y., killing 50. “Flying Cheap” focuses on the increased need for safety regulations as more major airlines outsource flights to smaller regional players.
The broadcast traces regional carrier Colgan Air’s growth, plus the training and physical conditions for its lower-paid pilots, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s role in keeping its flights safe.
Today’s Tip: When there’s no data in the public record, rely on interviews.
Mary Schiavo, former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, notes on the Web site: “Many key elements of safety are not available when you file a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) with the federal government. For example, an airline pilot’s experience, qualifications, training, discipline and failed FAA examinations are not disclosed.”
For this segment, O’Brien and his team relied heavily on news stories and interviews with former airlines executives, pilots and inspectors. Producer Rick Young notes the team spent seven months researching.
When you can’t find a paper trail, work your way up the information chain to get interviews with key people who have knowledge.
