AU School of Communication Teams with PBS Frontline to Examine The Safety of Regional Air Carriers

Tonight, PBS Frontline airs "Flying Cheap," a co-production with American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop. Above is an excerpt from the Frontline report and below is a description. The production has also received strong advance reviews from the New York Times and Washington Post.

One year after the deadly airline crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, NY, FRONTLINE investigates the accident and discovers a dramatically changed airline industry, where regional carriers now account for half of the nation's daily departures. The rise of the regionals and arrival of low-cost carriers have been a huge boon to consumers, and the industry insists that the skies remain safe. But many insiders are worried that now, 30 years after airline deregulation, the aviation system is being stretched beyond its capacity to deliver service that is both cheap and safe.

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