FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - What are the chances of dying in a plane crash in your lifetime of flying?
Old Jul 22, 2010 | 12:11 am
  #3  
dabears1020
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG
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It's hard to come up with an exact estimate for a couple reasons. Obviously as you sort of mentioned, flying somewhere like Africa is going to be less safe than in North America. Other factors though include flight miles flown rather than number of flights, but this is also not a linear variable because takeoffs and landings are accepted to be the most dangerous times of flight. A 15 hour LAX-SYD is going to have the same number of takeoffs and landings as a 30 minute hop in a puddle jumper.

That brings me to the next factor. One could make an argument that big, modern jets are safer than commuter props. Are those 1000 flights on mostly A380s and 777s, or are they on Q400s and Twin Otters?

In the end though, it really doesn't matter. The odds of dieing in a car accident on the way to the airport so greatly surpass the odds of dieing in a plane crash that it's not even worth considering.
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