In Defense of Southwest Airlines

I’m flying to Chicago today to attend a conference for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists (SIOP).  I’ve had 3 people ask me if I’m nervous to fly Southwest Airlines, and the answer each time has been no.  Clearly Southwest Airlines has had a significant amount of negative press lately after a 3-foot hole appeared in the fuselage of their plane mid-flight.  However, if we think critically about the risks of flying, the fear will appear misplaced.

Fear of being in a plane accident isn’t surprising considering the situation is foreign to most of us, and in an emergency we would be virtually helpless.  The lack of control and familiarity are two key issues that evoke strong emotion and result in an irrational fear and overestimation of risk.  However, if we look at the statistics to calculate risk, we can remove emotions from the analysis.

The odds of being involved in a fatal plane crash are 1 in 9.2 Million.

The odds of being killed by a lightening strike are 1 in nearly 2.3 Million.

The odds of drowning in the bathtub are 1 in 10,499.

Southwest Airlines has never had a fatal crash.

Deaths per billion hours via air = 30.8.

Death per billion journeys via car = 130

The number of deaths per passenger mile on commercial airlines in the United States between 1995 and 2000 is about 3 deaths per 10 billion passenger miles. (Wikipedia)

As you can see, the mind plays tricks on us and exaggerates risk when emotions are involved.  Perhaps the time we spend being nervous about flying would be better spent on preparing for Worst Case Scenario while in flight.  I found this guide to surviving a plane crash particularly fascinating.  Now that’s strategic thinking!

What fears do you have?

Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens.  She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training.  She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting.  She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson.  Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.