It is no secret that I am deathly afraid of flying. It takes me a fistful of meds just to get off the ground, and even then I’m in a mild panic until I’m back on terra firma. Which is why articles like this worry me, because I want my plane in the best condition possible.

Essentially, when you tell me how a plane works, this is what I see:

Fact. With a bit of science.

Annie Macmillan, a regular Kulula passenger, had the following to say about their planes, after noting missing armrests, loose rubber bits hanging from the overhead lockers and a gap through which one could see the plane’s inner workings.

If small things are falling apart without being mended or maintained, I have precious little faith in the airline’s maintenance standards overall.

An example of bad internal maintenance, taken by Annie Macmillan

Kulula has responded that their aircraft are maintained in line with approved manufacturer standards, and that a plane would never be allowed to leave the ground in an unsafe condition. It reminds me of the time a friend of mine flew Kulula, and saw the cabin door being duct-taped.

Kulula is getting new planes in July, which would allow older planes in the fleet to be retired.

[Source: IOL]