The airbag in your car is like a fireman (see above), waiting to be called to an emergency. It simply has no other job.

Flight attendants are quite different. Are they serving meals just to pass the time while they wait for some safety issue to arise? No, serving meals is most of what they do! Only very, very rarely do they have to anything safety-related, and in one incident last year, their performance may not have been so good (according to perhaps dubious news reports).

Again, in my humble opinion, safety on airplanes is due to, in order of priority: (1) talented engineers (and assembly-line workers, to a lesser degree) at the aircraft manufacturers, who really do quite an amazing job if you think about it, (2) pilots, and (3) flight attendants. Anyone who wants to give FAs more credit in this regard than I do is welcome to do so. I just don't agree.

Incidentally, I suspect that your airbag is always pleasant! It never throws you out of your car.

Bruce