[AmusedBystander]

It may comes a shock to the average passenger, but airline pilots really do have every passenger's life in their hands. Our skill and training are the only thing keeping you safe in situations like this. A May Day call to ATC won't help.

What airline do you work for since I don't want to ever fly with you based on your answers in this post? Any pilot who doesn't issue a mayday while contemplating an emergency landing would be wasting valuable time to get responders prepared to search, fight fire, etc.

[Tzfat]

Funny. If you fly, you've already flown with many just like me. You see, those that determine what is, and is not safe, sit in the front window seats, not passenger seats.That's why we get paid, and passengers pay - for what we know and do, not for what the average consumer thinks they know about aircraft safety.

I have declared emergencies a few times, but I am quite confident that I did it AFTER I made sure my aircraft, crew, and passengers did not need something more pressing. No one was arguing that a May Day should not have been made, only that a May Day call is not something needed immediately, if something (like a fire, or smoke) is more important. And there are several plausible reasons for no squak or May Day, that any airline pilot would find reasonable.

ARFF (Airport Rescue Fire fighting) take minutes to dispatch. Remember, we land at airports, where there are people standing by to help. Waiting to tell ATC risks nothing in that regard.

[Ozark Tom]

When seconds count and help is... a long time away; yep, have fate in your own hands.