US travelers lose confidence in air safety following American Airlines crash

A recent survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that the confidence of Americans in air travel and the federal agencies tasked with maintaining air safety has reduced by seven percentage points over the last year following the recent American Airlines accident. However, the public still considers air travel to be safe overall.

Less confidence in air travel safety

According to the survey conducted between February 6 and 10, shortly after the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 , 64% of US adults say air travel is “very safe” or “somewhat safe.”

This represents a decrease of seven percentage points from last year when 71% said the same. Meanwhile, the number of US adults who consider air travel to be very or somewhat unsafe has risen from 12% in 2024 to 20% this year.

Confidence in government agencies’ ability to ensure safe air transportation has also decreased. Just over 50% of US adults have “a great deal” or “moderate amount” of confidence in federal government agencies maintaining safety, decreasing from about 60% in 2024.

While air travel is still considered safe due to the rarity of fatal incidents, the poll suggests that the recent crash may have rattled some Americans.

A number of incidents over the past year, in the US and internationally, may have also made some Americans question the safety of air travel.

This includes the January 2024 Alaska Airlines incident , which saw a door plug blowing off a Boeing 737 MAX over Oregon. However, the poll was conducted before a recent Delta Air Lines incident in Toronto.

Overall, the survey revealed that US adults think air travel is about as safe as walking or taking a car, although several other factors must be considered.

About 66% consider walking or driving to be safe forms of transportation, while about 50% say a local subway, metro, or light rail system is safe, in line with results from 2024.

Republicans, Democrats, and independents

Following the collision of the US Army helicopter and American Airlines jet , US President Donald Trump blamed the accident on federal diversity and inclusion programs while reassuring the American public that flying is still safe.

The AP suggests that this may explain why Democrats and independents, but not Republicans, have lost some confidence in air travel.

About 40% of independents believe air travel is safe, decreasing from about 60% in 2024. About 70% of Democrats are still confident in air travel safety, decreasing from about 75% last year. Meanwhile, Republicans' views about air travel remain the same.

Furthermore, Democrats and independents have less confidence in the government’s ability to ensure air safety compared to four years ago.

Over the last few weeks, many FAA probationary employees have been fired , further bringing aviation safety under scrutiny. With the poll being conducted before that, the views of Democrats may have been influenced by the shift of power from Joe Biden to Donald Trump.

Last month, before Trump’s inauguration, about 70% of Democrats said they trusted federal government agencies in maintaining air safety. However, this has decreased to about 60%. Meanwhile, Republican views did not change.

Confidence in pilots

The surveyed Americans remain confident in pilots. About 80% of US adults have a high level of confidence in pilots, and 75% have a high level of confidence in commercial airlines.

The Associated Press surveyed about 1,112 adults using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the US population. The AP estimates a margin of sampling error for adults to be about 4.1 percentage points.

Recent major incidents in North America

American Airlines Flight 5342 was a scheduled passenger flight from Wichita to Washington National Airport operated by PSA Airlines as American Eagle.

On January 29, 2025, the Bombardier CRJ700 operating the flight went down in the Potomac River after colliding with a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

A total of 67 people from both aircraft died in the crash, making it the deadliest in the US since 2001.

On February 17, a Delta Connection CRJ900, operated by Endeavor Air, crashed and overturned at Toronto Pearson Airport . It was operating Flight 4819 from Minneapolis. All 76 passengers and four crew members survived, but at least 21 injuries were reported.