Stress In The Skies

Age of the fleet: In 1998, the average age of the American domestic fleet was 12.1 years. One reason not to worry: older planes have many new parts.

Maintenance: The U.S. airlines spend more than $10 billion a year to keep their aircraft safe

ACCIDENT DEATH RATES PER 100 MILLION PASSENGER MILES, 1997 Cars 0.92 Trains 0.04 Buses 0.01 Airlines 0.01

GRAPH: MAJOR ACCIDENTS* PER MILLION FLIGHT HOURS
GRAPH: AVERAGE AGE OF WORLD JET FLEET