train passengers? I often ask myself that question. They are pro- bably the same. So they're dangerous when they fly, but not when they travel by train.
Class & Relax Lifestyle Magazine: Flying has become an obstacle course. Even in the best conditions, nothing is guaranteed...
Jean-Louis Baroux: It's often an ordeal: first you have to get to the airport; then you have to negotiate an obstacle course to get to your plane. Once you're on the plane, it's very difficult because you can't find a place for your luggage, because passengers that are at the back of the aircraft have left theirs where you are. SITA is working hard on this issue, so that facial checks allow us to get to our plane quickly, but there is a lot of resistance. What's more,
Jean-Louis Baroux: In Africa, there is no other example of airline development comparable to that of Ethiopian Airlines. Is it that, on the one hand, the world is developing very strongly and, on the other, is slowing down? Clearly, Europe is in a special situa- tion. The continent is small, distances are short and ground infra- structure is extensive. Europe has developed a network of high-
speed trains that largely competes with air transport. Artificially, in fact. If you take a closer look, before taking a plane, you have to go through extremely laborious filters that discourage passen- gers. This is not the case when you take the train; but don't tell me that trains have never been the target of attacks: I would remind you that in Atosha (Madrid), in 2004, nearly 200 people were killed and 1,900 injured. No controls have been introduced for trains since then. Are plane passengers more dangerous than
passenger screening at airports is a major business, worth around €800 million a year in France alone, and it provides a livelihood for a lot of people. Since people need assistance at an airport, not machines, all that's left to do is to shift the work of ground staff towards creating a smoother flow and providing support for passengers, so that transit through the airport ceases to be an obstacle course. No solution has been found to make the system fluid again.
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