The main problem with studying such a question is that there are remarkably few deaths in commercial aviation (that's really a good problem to have). There is a particularly small number (especially considering how many flights there have been) of crashes where some passengers survived and some perished. With so few incidents to work with, it is very difficult to draw meaningful conclusions.

We get caught up in the hassles of travel, but just think how remarkable an achievement it is -- widely affordable air travel that is extraordinarily safe.