News of the latest Malaysian flight to go down has led many potential passengers to wonder whether traveling by plane may be more dangerous than it at first appears. In fact, the dangers involved when traveling by plane have been going down for many years and plane flight remains one of the safest methods of travel possible.

A Record of Safety

Airplane accidents have been steadily decreasing since 1960, with the exception of 1984. The reason it may feel as though there are more accidents than there were before is because of the globalization of the world; there are more accidents reported on now than before. The odds of being in an accident in the air are exceptionally low; as of 2012 the odds of being in a fatal accident with a major airlines is one in 4.7 million

Incidental Flukes

Many people wonder why not one but two Malaysian flights have gone down in the past year. Malaysia Airlines actually runs an extensive network of routes throughout the Australasia and Middle East world. To Americans, it could be considered analogous to Southwest Airlines or Alaska Airlines; it’s a major airlines and thus its exposure is significant. It’s not surprising that multiple planes went down because it runs so many flights. Thus, accidents may not always be indicative of the safety of a particular airlines.

Reducing Your Risk

It’s not a coincidence that the largest accidents tend to occur with major airlines; major airlines tend to be targeted. If you want to reduce your risk you should travel during the off season and you should always travel on smaller airlines. An air charter service is one of the safest ways of flying; people will rarely target an independent airline. If you do notice anything suspicious during your flight, you should immediately notify a flight attendant to make sure that the issue is taken care of.

Traveling by plane is no more dangerous than simply driving an equal distance. While it may seem as though traveling by plane is dangerous, this is only because issues with planes are being reported more frequently. Make sure that you take the appropriate precautions, such as booking on less trafficked airlines, and you should be fine.

Posted in: international travel, travel tips