Do you trust small airlines as much as major airlines?

Critics say a new safety approach aimed at getting airlines to police themselves could endanger passengers flying with smaller airlines.

In 2005, Transport Canada began changing over to a new system - known as safety management systems (SMS) - that shifts the primary oversight of airplane safety regulations from federal inspectors to the airlines themselves. 

Critics of SMS concede that self-policing works relatively well with Canada's major airlines because they often have a protective union environment and face greater public scrutiny. But some say smaller airlines now operate in a grey zone. 

While major airlines now comply with SMS, Transport Canada has delayed the implementation of SMS for smaller airlines. Because the government has reduced its hands-on inspections, smaller carriers face even less oversight.


(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)