Technically, if you count sheer total accidents over the last century, it’s American Airlines or Delta—but that’s like saying the busiest driver on the highway has the most parking lot dings. They fly so many flights that the numbers just look big. It’s not fair.
The real statistic that makes safety nerds nod wisely is the fatality rate per million flights. When you look at that, you get a different picture. Suddenly, a few smaller carriers from the 1970s and 1980s pop up, and the big American names look a lot more like your boring, reliable minivan.
The “Old School” problem
Most of the scary accidents happened back when pilots still used ashtrays and you could smoke on flights. Seriously, the 1970s were a wild west in the sky. So if you’re comparing a modern airline to a defunct one from 1972, you’re basically comparing your iPhone to a rotary phone.
For example, China Airlines (Taiwan) has a reputation in the stats, but almost all their big incidents were decades ago. They’re now one of the safest on earth. It’s like that friend who was a total mess in college but now runs a successful small business.
