To improve safety in Europe further, the European Commission – in consultation with Member States’ aviation safety authorities – has decided to ban airlines found to be unsafe from operating in European airspace.

Since several years, it has been maintaining an airline black list.

“The EU blacklist has proved effective. Now we want to see these standards applied throughout the world to safeguard passengers.” said European Union transport commissioner Antonio Tajani on Thursday, when announcing he would start consultations on a worldwide aviation blacklist. He said the planned worldwide blacklist would not be a “punitive list” but would motivate airlines to improve their safety standards.

So, does the E.U.’s Airline blacklist make flying safer? Bruce Crumley, answers: Even that, though, can’t prevent disaster from striking some of the largest and most reputable airlines on earth, whose accidents often account for the industry’s highest death tolls.

Meanwhile, approximately 80 percent of all aviation accidents occur shortly before, after, or during takeoff or landing, and are often described as resulting from ‘human error’.  Apart from the fact that there are, luckily, too few fatal accidents to serve as a basis for reliable statistics, you can visit the Aviation Safety Network, and even follow them on twitter.

New Zealand’s national airline

The “Bare Essentials of Safety,” screening in the cabins of planes flying Air New Zealand’s main domestic routes, has gone viral online. It had 1.2 million YouTube views by Friday, four days after it was launched.

“We think in tough times there’s a premium for making people smile, and it gives the opportunity to stand out in a crowd,” Air New Zealand’s marketing general manager Steve Bayliss told The Associated Press.

And it works

Bare essentials of safety from Air New Zealand

Note: The people in the ads are not models or actors but work colleagues. Check out additionnal videos here.