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While any plane crash in the modern age may feel like a freak occurrence, there's no escaping the fact that some airlines are safer than others.
That much is made by clear by the existence of anEU "blacklist"of carriers banned from flying above European airspace (don't worry, they are all very obscure), but a more thorough look at the incident logs of some of the world's oldest airlines reveals that some are so safe they've never - or almost never - had a fatal crash.
Here we round up some of the better-known airlines with a spotless safety record in the jet era. Scroll down for a full list of carriers never to have had a fatal accident.
The list no longer includes Southwest.Last year, in April, anincident on one of its aircraft- in which a woman died after a window was smashed by an engine part - put a rare blot on its otherwise clean safety record. Though not a crash, it was the first in-flight fatality for the American airline, which has been flying since 1971.
A close look at nine major airlines
Qantas
Flying since 1921
Qantas: No fatal accidents in the jet age.
The third oldest airline in the world, Qantas was cited in 1988 film Rain Man as an airline to have never had an aircraft crash. "Qantas. Qantas never crashed," says Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman. And while this fits the bill as far as the Australian airline's outstanding reputation for safety is concerned, it is not strictly true. The airline has had eight fatal accidents, all before 1951, with four taking place during the Second World War while Qantas was operating planes on behalf of the Allies. Indeed, one aircraft was shot down.
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In 1951, a de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover crashed off the coast of New Guinea after the centre engine's propeller failed. The pilot and all six passengers were killed.
Qantas has not had a fatal accident in the jet age, however, and only a handful incidents of note.
Hawaiian Airlines
Flying since 1929
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian has been flying planes since 1929 and never once had a fatal accident, making it, if our stats stand up, the longest functioning carrier to have never lost a passenger. It may have suffered two bankruptcies (1993 and 2003) but it has not compromised on safety. The airline began life flying light aircraft on sightseeing flights over O'ahu and today serves a number of Pacific destinations, including New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the US West Coast.
EasyJet
Flying since 1995
EasyJet has never had an accident. In fact, its history is so incident-free, it's difficult to find any serious issues to have befallen one of its flights.
Ryanair
Flying since 1985
In 33 years of flying, the closest the carrier has come to a serious accident was in 2008 when an aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing inRomeafter experiencing multiple bird strikes to the nose, wings and engines. It is believed the aircraft hit some 90 starlings. On landing, the left hand landing wheel collapsed and the plane made contact with the runway. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and two crew and eight passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Virgin Atlantic/Australia/America
Flying since 1984/2000/2007
Virgin: Remarkable
Virgin-branded airlines have a remarkable safety record, with decades of accident-free travel between three carriers across many continents. Both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia rank in the top 20 safest airlines in the world according to website AirlineRatings.com.
British Airways
Flying since 1974
British Airways has only had one fatal accident while operating in its current form: the mid-air collision of its Trident 3B with the aircraft of a Slovenian airline in the skies above the Croatian city of Zagreb. However, in 1985, under the moniker of BA's British Airtours subsidiary, a 737 crashed after taking off from Manchester Airport because of an engine failure, sparking a fire that spread through the cabin killing 53 of the 131 passengers and two of the six crew members.
Since 1985, BA has never had a fatal accident, the closest call coming in 2008, when First Officer John Coward earned his place in the aviation Hall of Fame by landing a plane without any power. Read the full storyhere.
BA ranks among the world's top 20 safest airlines according to AirlineRatings. British European Airways, founded in 1946 but merged with British Overseas Airways Corporation in 1974 to create British Airways, suffered a number of fatal accidents.
Emirates
The three key Middle Eastern airlines have never had fatal accidents.
Flying since 1985
TheDubai-based airline, now operating more than 3,600 flights a week, has never had a fatal accident, and only suffered one hull loss (the write-off of an aircraft), when a Boeing 777 crash-landed at Dubai International. The plane caught fire and exploded on the runway after the majority of passengers had evacuated. However, a firefighter was killed in the blaze.
Etihad
Flying since 2003
Another Middle Eastern carrier with an impeccable safety record, its only incident being a rather bizarre situation in which an aircraft undergoing ground testing at Toulouse Airport in France accelerated to 35mph before hitting a concrete wall, injuring nine people on board, four seriously.
Qatar Airways
Flying since 2004
In a similar scenario, the accidents to befall Qatar Airways aircrafts were two fires, one in 2007 and one in 2017, where planes were written off while on the ground, the former in a hangar in Abu Dhabi, the latter at Hamad International in Doha. Otherwise, Qatar has a squeaky clean safety record.
So which airlines have never crashed?
According toPlane Crash Info, there are 42 airlines to have never suffered a fatal accident in their history, including pre-jet engines. However, for some reason the website's list does not include Etihad. Nor does it include Qantas, because of the airline's earlier crashes. The full list is below.
Air Berlin
Air Europa
AirTran Airways
Allegiant Airways
Cape Air
Chautauqua Airlines
CommutAir
DragonAir
EasyJet
Emirates
Era Alaska
Expressjet Airlines
Frontier Airlines
GoJet Airlines
Hainan Group
Hawaiian Airlines
Horizon Air
Jazz Air
Jet Airways
JetBlue
Jetstar
Mesa Airlines
Olympic Airways
Oman Airways
Pinnacle Airlines
Qatar Airways
Republic Airlines
Ryanair
Shenzhen Airlines
Shuttle America
Spirit Airlines
Swiss
Trans State Airlines
Transaero Airlines
Ukraine International Airlines
Vietnam Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin America
Virgin Australia
Vueling
Westjet
And which are the world's safest?
Air New Zealand Dreamliner 787-9 Photo: AP
The website AirlineRatings.comassessed 409 major airlines before delivering its verdict on the safest airlines for 2018, taking into account previous incidents, the average age of their fleets, and audits from governments and the aviation industry's regulatory bodies.
For the last four years it has singled out Qantas as the world's safest airline, ahead of a chasing pack of 19 rivals, but this year it listed the Australian flag carrier alongside the rest of the top 20.
The 20 safest airlines (in alphabetical order)
Air New Zealand
Alaska Airlines
All Nippon Airways
British Airways
Cathay Pacific Airways
Emirates
Etihad Airways
EVA Air
Finnair
Hawaiian Airlines
Japan Airlines
KLM
Lufthansa
Qantas
Royal Jordanian Airlines
Scandinavian Airline System
Singapore Airlines
Swiss
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Australia
Does fleet age have anything to do with it?
Not according toPatrick Smith, a US pilot and author of Cockpit Confidential.
"Commercial aircraft are built to last more or less indefinitely, which is one of the reasons why they're so expensive," he said. "It's common for a jet to remain in service for 25 years or more."
Smith claims that as planes get older they come under ever greater scrutiny. "Inspection criteria grow increasingly strict," he said.
So if planes are built to last more or less indefinitely, why are they retired after just 30-odd years – or in many cases sooner?
"Planes are sold, traded or mothballed not because they've grown old and are falling apart, but because they've become uneconomical to operate," said Smith.
"Aircraft are tailored to particular roles and markets, and there's a fragile balance between whether it makes or loses money. Poor performance means quick exit to the sales block. To another carrier with different costs, routes and needs, that same aircraft might be profitable."
How safe was 2018?
2017 was - by some distance - the safest year in aviation history. According to ASN there were just 14 fatal accidents involving commercial airliners (14+ passengers), resulting in 59 deaths. This was down from 17 fatal accidents and 258 deaths in 2016. Furthermore, none of those fatalities involved a jet aircraft.
Last year, however, there were several major accidents. On February 11, Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashed after leaving Moscow with all 71 on board perishing. One week later 66 people died when Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 went down near the city of Yasul. US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 crashed near Kathmandu on March 12, resulting in 51 deaths. There was also a harrowing incident on a Southwest flight, where a window was smashed and a female passenger killed. And in May 112 people died when Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashed near Havana.
ASN's database shows 561 deaths involving commercial flights in 2018,almost 10 times more than the whole of 2017, making it the deadliest year for aviation since 2014, with 555 deaths.
But this is still way down on the number of annual fatalities seen in previous decades. More than 1,000 deaths per calendar year was commonplace until just over a decade ago. In 2005 there were 1,075. The figure for 1996 was 1,844. The deadliest year of all time was 1972, when 2,380 people died in 72 accidents involving commercial airliners – a number that is all the more remarkable when you consider how few departures there were compared with today (around 9.5 million, compared with almost 37 million in 2017).
Modern air travel remains remarkably safe. Over the past five years, the fatal accident rate has ranged from around one for every 7.5 million departures (2017) to one for every 1.5 million departures (2013).
"[2017] was effectively a lovely statistical blip," said David Gleave following the Cubana crash last May. "We are a long way from having solved all the problems [with flying], but it is getting safer and there remains a downward trend in the per flight probability [of a crash]."
The Telegraph, London
See also:World's safest, and least safe, airlines named in new rankings
See also:Is the 737 MAX safe – and which airlines are still flying it?
Hugh Morris
FAQs
What airline has never had a plane crash? ›
Running since 1929, Hawaiian is among the oldest airlines in the world but, remarkably, it has never suffered a single fatal crash or hull loss.
What is the safest airline to fly in the US? ›Alaska Airlines has been named the safest U.S. carrier.
Has Qatar Airways ever had a fatal crash? ›4 Qatar Airways
Sitting in fourth place is another highly-regarded Middle Eastern carrier, namely Doha-based Qatar Airways. Like Etihad, the airline has never had a fatal accident, and its only hull losses have come about due to hangar fires during maintenance.
...
Delta Air Lines Flight 191.
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 2, 1985 |
| Summary | Loss of control due to a microburst, resulting in runway undershoot |
...
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380.
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Survivors | 148 |
While AirlineRatings.com does not officially release rankings for the least-safe airlines, the following carriers featured at the bottom of the list with one-star rankings: Nepal Airlines (Nepal), Airblue (Pakistan), Sriwijaya Air (Indonesia), Blue Wing (Suriname), Pakistan International Airlines and Air Algerie ( ...
What airline has the least amount of crashes? ›Air New Zealand is the safest airline in the world for 2022, according to AirlineRatings.com, with carriers like Etihad Airways, TAP Air Portugal, Qatar, Qantas, Lufthansa, and Finnair also making the list.
What is the most unreliable airline? ›In the U.S., ComparetheMarket named American Airlines the most unreliable airline overall, with a total of 6,491 complaints recorded over the last 12 months. In fact, the seven worst-performing airlines were all U.S.-based carriers: American, United, Spirit, JetBlue, Frontier, Delta, and Southwest Airlines.
What is America's #1 airline? ›The best U.S. airline of 2022: Delta
According to The Points Guy report, Delta scored 70.43/100, with the highest scores coming from customer satisfaction, lounges, and involuntary bumps.
Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 on board and a person on the ground on Feb. 12, 2009. It was the last fatal U.S. airline crash and reshaped safety regulations for air travel.
Is Southwest safer than Delta? ›
Southwest ranked last on WalletHub's list, bringing up the rear in several categories, including being the least reliable and the least safe airline. WalletHub gave Southwest a score of 7.84 out of 50 for reliability, whereas the top performers, including Delta and Hawaiian, scored above 30.
Has JetBlue ever crashed? ›Passengers aboard a JetBlue plane were in for a bumpy ride, even before takeoff. On Wednesday, JetBlue flight 1603 crashed into another JetBlue aircraft that was parked and unoccupied at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Has United Airlines ever crashed? ›United Airlines Flight 93, near Shanksville, PA, September 11, 2001. United Airlines Flight 175, into World Trade Center, NY, September 11, 2001. United Airlines Flight 81, inflight mishap, LaGuardia to Los Angeles, 1998. United Express Flight 5925, Quincy, IL, November 19, 1996.
Has American Airlines ever crashed? ›March 20, 1955: American Airlines Flight 711 (Flagship Nashville), a Convair 240, was flying from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri, when it crashed a quarter mile short of the airport while landing. Of the 35 occupants on board (32 passengers and 3 crew), 13 were killed.
When was Delta's last plane crash? ›On August 2, 1985, Delta Air Lines flight 191 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight between Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with a stop at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
What is the safest jet to fly? ›According to experts, the model (737-800) is considered to be the safest aircraft ever made.
Has Spirit Airlines ever crashed? ›According to airsafe.com, Spirit Airlines has never had a plane crash in its 30 years of operation.
When was the last time a jetBlue plane crashed? ›While jetBlue has not been involved in any known crashes thus far, it is still a relatively young company, having only been incorporated about 20 years ago. There have also been some incidents involving inflight injury and turbulence, as well as other examples of airline and aircraft personnel negligence.
Why is Southwest Airlines so safe? ›Southwest Airlines offers the safest flights in the industry because of its strict flight protocols and procedures. They are a favorite among travelers looking for cheap flights without having to compromise on comfort or security.
What was the last major plane crash? ›Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 on board and a person on the ground on Feb. 12, 2009. It was the last fatal U.S. airline crash and reshaped safety regulations for air travel.
Which airline has crashed most? ›
American Airlines is at the top of the list, with 11 accidents, which caused 858 fatalities. Two of these accidents came directly from the 9/11 attacks in September 2001.
What airlines are not good? ›Department of Transportation (DOT) complaint data backs up this list of the least favorite carriers. In the first half of 2022, American Airlines had the most complaints (3,186), followed by United Airlines (2,391), Spirit Airlines (1,909) and Frontier Airlines (1,750).
What is the cleanest airline? ›The importance of hygiene is rewarded as ANA All Nippon Airways wins top award as the World's Cleanest Airline, with Singapore Airlines taking second place and Japan Airlines in third position.
How safe is Delta Airlines? ›Its latest report revealed that Delta was in its top 20 list of safest airlines, ranking 14th.
Which airline loses the least luggage? ›Finally, Allegiant Air is the carrier least likely to lose, damage, delay, or pilfer its customers' luggage. In October 2021, it only mishandled 877 bags or 1.96 per 1,000 enplaned, which was very close to the previous year's statistic of only 1.20 per 1,000 checked bags.
Which airlines have had no fatalities? ›Flying since 1921
Qantas: No fatal accidents in the jet age. The third oldest airline in the world, Qantas was cited in 1988 film Rain Man as an airline to have never had an aircraft crash. "Qantas. Qantas never crashed," says Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman.
- Checking in the luggage. ...
- Airport Security. ...
- Airport overpriced food. ...
- Finding a seat.
- By the time you get to the right gate with lots of time to spare (hopefully), good luck finding somewhere to sit. ...
- Arriving late deliberately.
- AirAsia.
- Scoot.
- Southwest Airlines.
- Ryanair.
- IndiGo.
- Vueling Airlines.
- EasyJet.
- Jet2.com.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are the top ranked airlines based on 2020 domestic market share. Delta operates out of Atlanta, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta's hub, sees the most passenger traffic in the United States.
What is best airline to fly? ›- Emirates. Dubai-based Emirates has a well-earned reputation among luxury travelers as one of the world's top carriers. ...
- Delta Air Lines. ...
- JetBlue. ...
- Southwest Airlines. ...
- ANA All Nippon Airways. ...
- Alaska Airlines. ...
- American Airlines. ...
- United Airlines.
How many planes crash in a day? ›
On Average, 4 Planes Crash Every Day: Leading Causes of General Aviation Accidents, What You Need to Know. Plane crashes are more common than one might think. While commercial plane crashes draw more attention due to their size and recognizable names, general aviation accidents occur much more frequently.
Where was the biggest plane crash in history? ›The Tenerife Airport Disaster is considered to be the deadliest plane crash in aviation history. On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747s collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport in the Canary Islands. The crash was caused by a series of miscommunications and errors, which resulted in the death of 583 people.
When was the last plane hijacking? ›In May 2021, a Ryanair commercial jet was intercepted by Belarusian authorities while flying over Belarus on route to Vilnius, Lithuania. This occurrence is considered to be the most recent hijacking incident in the global aviation industry.
What is America's best airline? ›- Delta Air Lines. Delta Air Lines, Inc. Even though it's ranked as No. ...
- JetBlue. JetBlue. ...
- Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines. ...
- United Airlines. United Airlines. ...
- Hawaiian Airlines. Tomás Del Coro / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0. ...
- American Airlines. American Airlines.
Airlines and resorts are built for “traditional bodies,” plus-sized influencers say. Most airlines, such as America, Delta and United, have seats with the width of 17-inches. Southwest Airlines is more inclusive to plus-size passengers than other airlines, offering additional seats for plus-size people at no cost.
Are private planes more likely to crash? ›In 2019, the accident rate for a commercial plane was 0.2 accidents for every 100,000 hours flown. For a private plane, it's more than 25 times higher at 5.6 accidents for every 100,000 hours. "In general, it's an experience thing, and a regulatory oversight and requirements thing," Pereira said.
How many private jets have crashed? ›A total of 1,085 accidents involving private aircraft (general aviation) occurred, 205 of which resulted in fatalities. In other words, flying private has a fantastic track record of safety, and when you add in the data from private jet charters (not just fly by night hobbyists), the data looks even better.
Is JetBlue safe to fly? ›JetBlue was named among the 10 safest low-cost airlines for 2022 by AirlineRatings.com, an airline safety and product review website which monitors 385 airlines.
Has Alaska Airlines ever crashed? ›...
Alaska Airlines Flight 261.
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 31, 2000 |
| Summary | Jackscrew failure due to improper maintenance leading to loss of control. |
In its list of the 20 overall safest airlines for 2023, U.S. based airlines which made the cut include Alaska Airlines in eighth place, Hawaiian Airlines in 12th, United Airlines in 14th, American Airlines in 19th and Delta Air Lines in 20th, according to Airlineratings.com.
How many US airlines have crashed? ›
| Year | Accidents: Total | Fatal Accidents per 100,000 Departures |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 26 | 0.000 |
| 2017 | 30 | 0.000 |
| 2018 | 28 | 0.011 |
| 2019 | 36 | 0.010 |
...
Aloha Airlines Flight 243.
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 28, 1988 |
| Summary | Explosive decompression caused by metal fatigue and maintenance error |
| Site | Kahului, Hawaii |
| Aircraft | |
Together with its regional airline partner United Express, on any given day United has flights to over 238 domestic destinations and 118 international destinations in 48 countries or regions across five continents. Still, some may ask, is United Airlines safe? The short answer is yes, the airline is safe.
Why don't people like Southwest? ›Apparently, one of the things people dislike the most about this airline is the lack of comfortable seats that one can find on one of their flights. But on the other hand, some seats on their flights are better than others. Travelers need to know which seats to choose when they fly with Southwest Airlines.
Which airline has most accidents? ›- Air France: 347 fatalities.
- Air India: 542 fatalities.
- Air India Express: 179 fatalities.
- AirBlue: 152 fatalities.
- American Airlines: 858 fatalities.
- Avianca: 181 fatalities.
- Birgenair: 186 fatalities.
- China Airlines: 760 fatalities.
In the last seven decades, nearly 90 commercial airliners have gone missing — without a single piece of wreckage ever located. More people were lost on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March of this year than on any flight before.
What is the most unsafe plane? ›- Boeing AH-64 Apache. The Boeing AH-64 Apache has proven its worth in combat. ( ...
- Sukhoi Su-33. ...
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. ...
- Supermarine Spitfire. ...
- Shenyang J-16. ...
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress. ...
- Lockheed AC-130.
Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 on board and a person on the ground on Feb. 12, 2009. It was the last fatal U.S. airline crash and reshaped safety regulations for air travel.
What is the most famous plane disappearance? ›Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is officially the flight with the most missing people (239 missing), although possible remains of the plane have been found in the Indian Ocean.
How rare is a plane crashing? ›For every 1,000,000 miles you travel in a car, statistically, you can expect to be in about 4.5 crashes. For every 100,000 flights you take on a US Carrier (i.e. Delta, United, American, etc.), statistically, you can expect to be involved in about 1.05 accidents.
What was the worst ever air disaster? ›
583: The Tenerife airport disaster, which occurred on March 27, 1977, remains the accident with the highest number of airliner passenger fatalities. 583 people died when a KLM Boeing 747 attempted to take off and collided with a taxiing Pan Am 747 at Los Rodeos Airport on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain.
Is Flight 370 still missing? ›On March 24 Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that, based on analysis of the final signals, Inmarsat and the U.K.'s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) had concluded that the flight crashed in a remote part of the Indian Ocean 2,500 km (1,500 mi) southwest of Australia.
Was Flight 370 ever found? ›In the years since the plane disappeared other pieces of debris believed to be from MH370 have washed up on the coasts of Mozambique, South Africa and Mauritius. The complete wreckage of the aircraft has yet to be found and the location of the crash site remains unknown.
What is the best airline to fly? ›- Delta Air Lines.
- JetBlue Airways. ...
- Hawaiian Airlines. ...
- Tradewind Aviation. ...
- Alaska Airlines. ...
- Southwest Airlines. ...
- United Airlines. ...
- Sun Country Airlines. ...