Are low-cost airlines less safe than "regular" carriers?

Are low-cost airlines less safe than "regular" carriers? 
(Level: upper-intermediate to advanced / B2 to C1 / ***)

The Airbus A320 operated by Lufthansa's budget subsidiary Germanwings which crashed in the French Alps has been the worst accident in Europe for a long time. But some may wonder now whether those low-cost companies have the same high safety standards as the "traditional" carriers. 

Airbus A320
Photo credit: www.mirror.co.uk

You are going to watch a CNN programme focusing on this issue. 






Before watching


The following words could be useful:
to slash costs: reduce the costs drastically           réduire les coûts        
the counterpart: someone who is similar or equal (elsewhere)      homologue / collègue 
the likelihood: probability         possibilité / probability 
efficiency rating: efficiency ratio / the measurement of how well a company can manage income and expenses       rapport coût - efficacité  / cote d'efficacité / rendement   
a fare: price paid for the transport        prix du transport / billet




While watching 


Answer the following question:

Are the following statements true or false?  
Justify your answers!

1. The budget companies are less safe than the "regular" carriers.
2. The pilots working for low-cost companies are less trained than their counterparts in traditional airlines. 
3. The aircraft used by budget companies are generally newer than in other companies. 

You can also watch the CNN report by clicking HERE










When you are finished, you can check your answers:


1 The budget companies are less safe than the "regular" carriers.
FAUX

Aucune économie n’est réalisée sur la maintenance des appareils et la sécurité en général. (Les low cost prônent d’ailleurs dans leurs pubs la sécurité optimale de leurs appareils!)

2 The pilots working for low-cost companies are less trained than their counterparts in 
   traditional airlines. 
FAUX

Le personnel des low cost a les mêmes compétences que celui des compagnies « régulières » mais les salaires sont moins élevés et le temps de travail plus long.

Dès lors : personnel moins expérimenté (les pilotes + expérimentés ne se sentent pas attirés par des compagnies qui proposent des salaires plus bas) et probablement plus fatigué (en raison du temps de travail allongé)

3 The aircraft used by budget companies are generally newer than in other companies. 

En général : VRAI…

…et logique !

En effet : un appareil plus récent est aussi plus rentable (plus de rendement / moins de frais de maintenance / consommation de carburant moins élevée…)