Books

Cheap Flights – The True Cost

Are We Taking Safety for Granted?

As an experienced British Airways captain, turned media commentator, Terry is in a unique position to give an insight into a previously hidden world. He tells riveting stories that demonstrate a creeping erosion of the hard won safety standards that have made airline travel the safest means of transport. Yet this book is an easy, story-based read. Writing from his own and other pilots' experiences, the author examines vital safety issues, such as pilots so tired they can hardly function, or even falling asleep. He brings official reports to life in understandable and compelling language. You will ride on the flight decks of a variety of aircraft and witness extraordinary scenes.

This book tackles our worst fears and provides both encouragements and warnings. Are we in danger of putting cost above everything? We have reached a stage where you can expect to pay less for a ticket to the other side of Europe than it costs you to drive to the airport. Is there a risk of putting so much emphasis on economy that the real priorities are forgotten? The book argues that the industry's good safety record and reliance on modern technology is breeding complacency.

Writing from his own and other pilots' experiences, the author examines vital safety issues, such as pilots so tired they can hardly function or even falling asleep. He brings official reports to life in understandable and compelling language. These stories of accidents and incidents in flight illustrate the concerns that he and his fellow pilots share. He offers original solutions and highlights issues that have been raised by pilot’s unions but so far ignored or resisted by the industry and those who regulate it.

This fascinating insight into an airline pilot’s world allows the reader to fly with the author and witness the skills and challenges that are all part of a pilot’s working day. Experience the breath-taking challenges of a pilot in training and the all too real story of the Concorde tragedy and learn of a little known controversy over the final accident report. The story that you think you know may not be the whole picture.

Even nervous flyers will benefit from understanding how pilots think and what really matters. For example, do you need to worry about turbulence or funny noises? 

Chapter 3 The Corporation, is inspired by the Book and Documentary Film if the same name. After consultation with the film's producers Terry has turned his attention to the way airlines are managed. He presents a unique and original view of the conflict between the two primary goals of any airline: Profit and Safety.

Principle points of the book:

• A ride on the flight deck of several airliners to witness events hard to imagine
• An explanation of the inside stories of the Airline Industry in layman’s language
• Insights into how pilots think and fly
• An insider’s critique of the global airline industry and the changes pilots would like to see
• Passengers' concerns: Turbulence, 'funny noises' and other common fears explained.
• The questionable quality of the air that passengers and crews sometimes have to breathe (see article)
• Air Traffic Control - The richest country in the world has a system in crisis
• The Crash Detectives investigating the Concorde Tragedy

Want to see more? You can read an extract of the book at

Earlyworks Press

Readers' Comments

I have just been reading the extract from Terry T's book. I know nothing about flying but his direct, uncluttered prose and ability to pile on the tension brought me to the edge of my computer chair. I gasped with relief when he exploded the tension. Is the book to be published soon?  

- Victoria Seymour, author and social historian

- Cristóbal Pera, Editorial Director of Random House,

Mondadori, Mexico.

- Capt Peter Britton