By Andrew Tangel and Alison Sider

It has been a difficult start to 2025 for the U.S. aviation industry. The deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in 23 years happened on Jan. 29, when a midair collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. In the ensuing days, there were other plane crashes that drew widespread attention.

Alison Sider, our airline reporter, and Andrew Tangel, our aviation-safety reporter, hosted a question-and-answer event on Tuesday, Feb. 25, where they fielded questions from our subscribers about a range of aviation issues, including the safety of our skies.

Below, a selection of reader questions, and our reporters' answers. Questions and answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Are the skies safe? -- Christopher Marotta

That's a question on everyone's minds. Since the crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, various U.S. aviation and officials have sought to assure the public that flying is still the safest mode of transportation. We've reported on a number of close calls in recent years, along with various strains on the pilots, air-traffic controllers, etc.

There has also been a feeling in U.S. aviation circles that we were long overdue for a fatal passenger crash, given the country's safety streak of more than 15 years without one. -- Andrew

Is there truly an increase in air safety incidents in 2025, compared with previous years, or are perceived differences primarily due to more scrutiny/focus on air safety in the news following the Jan. 29 crash? -- Anthony Martin

We haven't seen any data yet suggesting there are higher rates of safety events so far this year. The fatal crash at Reagan airport was so out of the ordinary, it has put everyone on edge and drawn more attention to crashes of smaller planes (not passenger airlines) that typically wouldn't get news coverage. -- Andrew

I'm hearing a lot about DEI and its negative impact on airline safety. Can you address this? -- Mario Jelic

Investigators haven't linked any recent accidents to the industry's efforts to diversify its workforce and we don't know if any study or finding makes the link either.

In general, the aviation industry has been trying to recruit more women and people of color given their historical underrepresentation in the field. There have also been shortages of pilots and air-traffic controllers to varying degrees over the years and so the idea has been to tap the broadest possible talent pool.

During the pandemic, many seasoned pilots retired and took buyouts. When air-travel demand bounced back, new recruits backfilled many roles. We aren't aware of any link in these developments to emerging safety risks. -- Andrew

Why doesn't the Federal Aviation Administration ban infants in arms for children under 2? -- Sherri Hawkins

You've touched on a serious debate in the industry. Some recent crashes have highlighted the potential dangers, but children younger than 2 years old are allowed to fly in a parent's lap. The National Transportation Safety Board has long recommended that children be required to fly in their own seat in approved devices, like car seats, and many safety experts agree that's the best way to prevent injuries during turbulence.

The FAA "strongly discourages" allowing young children to travel in a parent's lap. It concluded in the 1990s that parents might opt to drive rather than fly if required to buy seats for them. -- Alison

What role does our aging technical infrastructure play in air travel safety? -- John Petrisin

We've seen radar and radio outages in American air-traffic control systems over the past year that have threatened safety. Luckily, there have been backups and the controllers and pilots worked around the issues without any major incidents. When controllers haven't been able to see or communicate with aircraft they've been guiding, cockpit systems have helped airliners avoid midair collisions.

More broadly, new technology could help avoid close calls or collisions, either in the air or on the ground at airports. But the FAA has been slow to require them for various reasons, and aviation generally has been slow to adopt new technology. -- Andrew

While the recent issues are landing/descent related, is there also an increase in turbulence-related issues? -- Joseph Caruso

Turbulence is a normal part of flying (unfortunately) but meteorologists say climate change could make some types of turbulence more common in the future. There have been strides in technology to report turbulence so pilots can avoid it. But the conditions that create turbulence can come on rapidly and can be difficult to predict. The best way to avoid injury is to stay buckled up when you're in your seat. -- Alison

Please let us know more about the qualifications to fly "regional jets." Many of us have to fly those to get to airline hub cities. Should we have concerns about who is flying small jets? -- Andy Haun

Under federal rules, aspiring pilots must have at least 1,500 hours of total flying experience to qualify as co-pilots at a regional airline, with some exceptions for former military pilots or graduates of colleges and universities with professional aviation programs. That rule was one of the measures adopted after the 2009 Colgan Air crash near Buffalo, N.Y. It can take a long time to build up that many hours.

There's a lot of debate about the requirement and whether it enhances safety or makes it prohibitively difficult to become a pilot. Pilots also receive additional training when they arrive at a regional airline. -- Alison

I don't remember getting weighed before boarding the airplane. We all know balance is important. How does the airline or pilot ensure the aircraft is in balance? -- Rebecca Hu

There are FAA standards to estimate how much the average person weighs. Airlines still weigh bags and do a lot of calculations behind the scenes. Those weight and balance measurements determine if and where planes can take off and land. Bigger planes can typically carry more weight so airlines flying them don't have to make everyone step on a scale like some smaller planes. -- Andrew

Write to Andrew Tangel at andrew.tangel@wsj.com and Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 28, 2025 11:00 ET (16:00 GMT)

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