Which airlines are the safest?

Baby boomers enjoy traveling, so it's important for boomers to consider airline safety.

The airline industry contends flying on a large commercial aircraft is one of the safest forms of transportation.

Consumer groups argue more needs to be done to make air travel safer.

There were 0.2 fatal accidents per 1 million departures in the United States in 2008, compared to 1.4 per 1 million departures in 1989, reports LiveScience.com. A review of the statistics between these years shows an improving trend overall.

The following list shows the five safest airlines in America based on number of accidents per 1 million takeoffs, according to data gathered from the Federal Aviation Administration, MTSM, and the U.S. Department of Transportation and reported on Injury.com.

These numbers are the yearly average from Jan. 1, 2002 to Jan. 1, 2007:

1. US Airways (.89 accidents)

2. Southwest Airlines (2.59 accidents)

3. America West Airlines (2.96 accidents)

4. Continental Airlines (3.17 accidents)

5. Alaska Airlines (3.32 accidents)

Methods vary for comparing air travel to other forms of transportation. Some show cars are safer than airplanes. Others show the opposite.

For information on airline accidents, see the “10 Worst Accidents in North America” on Aviation Safety Network.com.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides a list of countries whose air carriers can’t initiate new service and are restricted to current levels of any existing service to the United States while corrective actions are underway.

The European Union maintains a list of airlines that are banned from serving countries in Europe.

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Here are more resources to help you evaluate airline safety:

“Accident and Incident Data” – Federal Aviation Administration

“Aviation Accidents From the Past 10 Years” – Federal Aviation Administration

“Aviation Accidents From More Than 10 Years Ago” -- Federal Aviation Administration

“Safest Airlines and Planes” – Frommer’s

“The Worst Airlines in the World” – HotelClub Travel Blog

“How Safe Are America’s Airlines?” – msnbc.com

“Airlines Record Safest Two Years” – eTN

My next post will be on "Safe and Dangerous Airports."

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Journalist

Comments

[Krobinsonrikhav]

I would say British Airways is the safest airline, it is the oldest airline in the world and from 1976 it has not seen any accidents. As far as safety is concern it beats all its competitors.
http://www.thetop10guide.net/top-10-safest-airlines.html

[groundhog.judy]

I don't usually look up which airlines have the best safety record, maybe I should. I do know that Delta is high on my list of do gooders. I was in Narita when the 9.0 earthquake hit and Delta help all of us with blankets, water, food and information. All other airlines closed down and wouldn't talk to their passengers for 3 days.

[Carol]

Great list! I never thought of listing them down like this. I still think that if an accident will occur, it will occur. Although a statistical analysis like this could probably give me a little peace of mind.