Over the past few days, there has been a spate of incidents involving low-cost airlines which leads one to think that, in the mad rush of open competition, low-cost operators may be cutting corners on matters which concern passenger safety.

Recently, my wife and I took our first ever low-cost flight to a European destination. Initially we were pleased with the fare, punctuality and general state of the aircraft until the landing at our destination which was far from textbook. On our return to Malta, we experienced a weird take-off and, to make matters worse, we also experienced an aborted landing in Malta on a perfect night with excellent weather conditions and no wind.

The explanation given by the pilot was that the plane had made a wrong approach. In the many years I have been travelling I have found myself in situations where landings had to be aborted because of fog, technical problems with the undercarriage, or unexpected obstacles on the runway, but never for a wrong approach. Foolishly enough I took the trouble of e-mailing the airline for an explanation. The only reply I received was a lot of marketing drivel full of special offers.

Nowadays, booking a flight, whether for business or pleasure, is like playing Russian roulette. Everything is instant: 'Decide now and pay immediately or tomorrow it may cost a lot more' has become the order of the day. While an inexpensive ticket is not to be scoffed at, this has to be weighed against more important considerations such as customer care and safety. On looking back, I do miss the good old days of stable national airlines, fixed time tables, seasonal price tariffs, and above all, well-trained and experienced pilots.

I am proud that I have always been delighted to fly Air Malta (despite the lack of leg room on some of the UK flights). I have always felt safe to be flown by the airline's Maltese pilots and have felt comforted by their high standards of training and professionalism.

While it must be recognised that low-cost airlines are a great help to our tourism industry, we must do all we can to support our national airline and ensure that it will continue to thrive for many years to come.