I have a couple of friends who hate to fly. They fear for their safety. Let me tell you, if our cars were as well maintained as most aircraft (in first world countries, at least), our cars would last for millions of miles and decades, not years. And if drivers were as well trained and tested as airline pilots, most people wouldn’t be allowed to drive.

When I travel, I prefer to stick to big names in airlines, such as American Airlines, US Airways, Air France, or Lufthansa. I can’t say I’d ever fly Star Jet of Kyrgyzstan.  Come to think of it, I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of Star Jet of Kyrgyzstan until today. Having said that, the EU has just banned three more airlines from operating within the 25-nation boundary. (more)