Airlines Celebrate Two Years of Not Accidentally Killing Anyone

I'm not one to jinx a solid streak, but since CNN went ahead and mentioned it first, I'll just follow up by saying (and hand-pounding/golf-clapping anyone that wants the visual kudos as well) "WELL DONE" to all of the United States airlines for their hard work over the past two years.

It's a tough job not to kill anyone.

A single year without fatalities has occurred only four times since 1958, an analysis by the Air Transport Association found.

Thus, the two-year streak in 2007 and 2008 is all the more remarkable, considering that airlines ferried more than a billion passengers.

"That stellar record isn't something that came about by accident," David Castelveter, spokesman for the ATA industry group, told CNN.

Seriously. I'm not trying to make any mockery of death or airline issues (we're not that far from 2001, I suppose) but what does it say about your industry when you celebrate a two year run of "not accidentally killing anyone"? I'll tell you what it says: If you mess up and let anyone else die, you better repeal that $15/bag check-in charge. That's what it says.

Google Earth and a Single Day of United States Air Travel

Yes, it is "Crazy Airplane Graphic YouTube Day" here on Travelin' Light. It's not that we're lazy, we just -- like the rest of the world -- are fans of moving pictures. So, for your further enjoyment, check out this Google Earth mapping of American air travel on a single day.

Hmmm. On second thought, maybe using satellites to try and get rid of airplane congestion is a good idea after all.