Sara Groonis, Housewife, mother and grandmother, Bellevue

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"By making sure that all baggage is thoroughly checked, whether it is carry-on or goes through the regular channels. And personnel have to be really checked before they're ever hired -- I think that's very important... The TWA tragedy was such a terrible loss -- for everyone. Just reading about it and watching it on TV brings tears to your eyes."

Julie Nathan, Family home manager, Mercer Island

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"Security measures really have to be a priority. And maintenance standards have to be strictly enforced. Or perhaps the airplanes themselves could be made of a stronger material... I've waited to hear if the TWA disaster turns out to be caused by a missile. If it does -- what could you do? I think that just about everything they're doing seems sufficient as long as they have sufficient staff and they follow the rules and regs for security."

Jessica Groden, 8th grader, Akron, Ohio

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"Even if it costs a little more or is an inconvenience to somebody, everything needs to be thoroughly checked before a flight takes off... I flew in from Cleveland on TWA after hearing about the disaster. At first, I just really didn't want to go. And then I was maybe hoping it was caused by terrorists going to another country, and what are the chances of someone attacking a plane going to Seattle? On the plane, nobody talked about it -- it was kind of a silent subject... When I fly back, I'll hope that they will have taken more safety measures and everything goes smoothly. What happened was a real tragedy and we need to make sure it never happens again."

Ed Nissen, Retired businessman, Seattle

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"I think that the airlines, and the FAA, are doing almost as much as they can now. I travel quite a bit by airplane and I feel very safe. I think we spend enough time at the airport checking in and out and I'd be against any additional measures or fees. If someone is determined to do something, they're going to do it. Now if it turns out to be a missile, then we have a real problem. There's certainly no way to avoid that -- it could happen anywhere. But I think it would be a one in ten million chance it could happen to me."

Neil Paupst, Sales rep, Seattle

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"Definitely improved technology in security, and in manufacturing the planes. A lot of those planes are getting older and we're starting to see problems. Just like with a car or anything else, once it gets older, you have problems. So anyway we can forecast those problems, we'll be better off."

Craig Matthews, Truck driver, Milton

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"Put a limit on the years aircraft can be flown. That TWA flight 800 was 25 years old and that amazed me. You don't even want to drive a car that old on the streets, let alone have a jumbo jet flying around with 200-plus people on it. I'd say that they've gotten their money out of them well before 25 years have passed."

Copyright © 1996 by the Bellevue, WA-based Journal American newspaper.

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