(CNN) — Flight-phobics, relax — a list of the world’s safest airlines has just been released.
Top of the ranking from AirlineRatings.com of the safest carriers in 2013 is the Australian airline Qantas.
Awarding it a full seven stars, the website cites the airline’s fatality-free flying record from the beginning of the jet era in the early 1950s.
Other airlines sharing the seven-star rating and winning a place among the top 10 safest airlines are, in alphabetical order, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Eva Air, Royal Jordanian, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Safest industries
Commercial aviation is one of the most heavily monitored industries in the world and statistically the much-cited comparison bears out: you are much less likely to die in an airplane crash than in a car accident.
Indeed, the number of fatalities last year was at a record low, according to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN).
Many airlines go for years without experiencing significant safety incidents, let alone a crash.
There is thus often little to distinguish the largest and most reliable carriers apart from a safety point of view.
Of the 448 airlines AirlineRatings.com surveys, 137 have a top seven-star rating.
Along with fatality crash records and audits from aviation governing bodies, the website takes into account the quality of the “in-flight product” airlines offer — including in-flight entertainment, seating and food — to determine their ranking.