America's nervous skies: Searches about airplane safety are spiking
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Recent high-profile airline accidents have caused a spike in Americans questioning just how safe it is to fly, according to Google Trends data.
Why it matters: Flying remains the safest and most efficient way to travel long distances in the U.S., but the Google data reflects how events in the news can impact the way people feel when they're boarding an aircraft, or considering whether to book a flight.
Driving the news: Two incidents in particular seem to be driving the spike in searches.
- An American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January, killing 67 people.
- On Monday, a Delta plane crashed while landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, with 18 injuries and no deaths.
By the numbers: Searches for "Is it safe to fly" have been surging in February.
- The only time more Americans were searching that question was during the pandemic, when there was confusion about how likely the virus was to spread on a plane, according to Google Trends data dating back to 2004.
- Searches for "how many plane crashes in 2025" are also on the rise. Another trending search is "why are planes crashing?"
Reality check: Lots of people claim they'll never fly again after high-profile aviation incidents — but there are few alternatives for people who love to or need to travel long distances, and history shows such doubts are often short-lived, Axios aviation expert Alex Fitzpatrick notes.
- Demand for air travel has been steadily rising since the pandemic, and even last year's headline-grabbing 737 Max door plug blowout didn't slow ticket sales.
Go deeper: Air traffic controller shortages are a nationwide problem
