VegasGambler

To compare: AS had a plane crash 19 years ago, and everyone on board died. It was partially caused by a deviation from standard inspection intervals (not letting them off the hook) but the FAA signed off on it. That is absolutely a tragedy, and they had some fault, but it's not a pattern. They have not had an incident since.

Southwest has had 7 major incidents since March 2000. One was weather-related; the rest are either severe pilot error (causing the pilot to be fired) or severe problems with the aircraft. They have also been fined $10M by the FAA for failing to properly inspect their planes (the largest-ever fine of its type). They have also repeatedly had to ground large groups of planes after discovering that the required inspections had not been happening properly (34 in 2018, 128 in 2015, 43 in 2008 -- that's what lead to the large fine)

Southwest has a clear pattern of skimping on maintenance, and they have had major incidents at a far higher than expected rate. Two uncontained engine failures 20 months apart?? Something is very, very wrong there.

A pattern of cutting corners scares me a lot more than a one-off incident 19 years ago.