I've been reading with interest the process by which Japan Airlines (which filed for bankruptcy protection last week) will be rehabilitated. In a news article this month, specific recommendations included introducing a budget airline that would fly from certain sites in and out of Japan.

What caught my eye was a line that had the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan proposing to trim the size of flight crews. I am very interested now in what precisely is being proposed. If the ETIC is looking at reducing the number of cabin attendants, let me remind the ETIC that the primary function of the cabin attendants is for emergency operations. Handing out newspapers and passing out drinks, food and snacks is nice but of secondary importance.

The size of the crew needs to be dictated by the needs of passenger and crew safety, not by what is economical. Until there is more clarity as to what exactly the ETIC is planning, I am very uneasy about whether it will be safe to be a passenger in an aircraft (subject to "trimming of flight crews").

paul h. sayles