Cruise Law News challenges Holland America

Last week's Alaskan plane crash that killed nine, including eight passengers from Holland America's Westerdam was a tragedy. Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened. During the initial hours after the crash, many in the industry felt that the accident could have happened to any cruise line. Cruise Law News' Jim Walker doesn't. He feels that some of Holland America's policies are reckless and putting lives at risk.

Flying in Alaska is tough under the best circumstances. There's fog. There's heavy winds. There a plenty of mountains and worst of all, the weather is ever-changing. Visual flying is the norm and it can lead to accidents. While cruise lines are not flying those planes, they are selecting the companies who work with their passengers. And the cruise companies also establish the policies on cancellation. It is Holland America's strict cancellation policy that has Walker concerned. He thinks that more customer-friendly policies, including letting people cancel much closer to the trip, would be better for everyone. The cruise lines though would probably fight the recommendation since the current policies keep the pilots happy and the revenues stable.

All bush pilots and planes in Alaska are under more scrutiny now. And that's a good thing. It should lead to better safety. But to make things that much better, we hope cruise lines think about Cruise Law News recommendations.