Is the flight to australia dangerous?

Question

because the flight is so long like 20 hours and your over water most of the time. so is it a higher risk of crashing?

sorry i have a small fear of flying

Answer 1

Approximately only 1 in 13 million flights crash. Most of them are actually intercontinental flights not international. So whether you fly to Australia, India, England, or Russia your chances of dying in a plane crash is just about the same as you winning the mega million lottery. So don't worry. Try to sleep through it :)

Answer 2

Aircraft that fly over the ocean are no more likely to crash than any other flight. Ocean ditchings are extraordinarily rare. I can't recall one happening in modern times and I'll bet that you can't either.

Aircraft accidents are extremely rare and, when they do happen, are most likely to occur during takeoff or landing - not while cruising over the ocean. Of the aircraft most commonly used for extremely long flights, the 747 has a hull loss rate of 0.62 per one million departures. The A-340 is 0.67 per one million departures. The 777 has had one hull loss since it was introduced thirteen years ago.

In other words, relax and enjoy the flight. Automobiles are statistically far more dangerous than flights and I'll bet that you don't worry about those.

Answer 3

It is very safe. The planes are designed and built to fly these routes all the time. Sometimes you can get some turbulence over the pacific, but its usually not too bad.

There are no obsticles, such as mountains, in the ocean that you could hit. There are few airplanes, so the chance of a mid air collision is extremely low. Also, the planes carry lots of extra fuel, so that if there was an emergency, they could fly to a number of other airports.

And for the record, there are many 2 engined aircraft crossing the pacific. Flights to New Zeanald with Air new Zeanalds 777's from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver, Air Canada's 767's to Tokyo and Shanghai from Vancouver, Air Canada's A330's to tokyo from Vancouver, and their 777's to tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and sydney from Vancouver and Toronto. They're all very safe!

Answer 4

Flying over water is safer.  There are no inconvenient lumps of geography projecting upwards.

All flights over the Pacific use 4 engined planes.  Most planes can stay in the air on 2 engines so there is a large margin of safety.  Although there seems to be a lot of ocean there are several airports scattered along the route that can be used for emergency landings.  Hawaii, Fiji and New Caledonia all have international standard airports, and there are  probably a few more that are suitable for emergencies.

Answer 5

Quite the opposite.  Taking off and landing are where most accidents occur.  20 hours in the air are very safe.  Flying over water is also very safe.  The atmosphere is very steady.  There are no air currents due to mountains and thermal currents from cities.  Relax.  The only danger from flying for 20 hours is your circulation.  Make sure you get up and walk around.  

Answer 6

As previous answer said, most air accidents happen when taking off or landing so the length of the journey has little or nothing to do with how safe it is, nor indeed does flying over water. In fact I'd rather fly over water than mountains !

Having worked for over 25 years in the insurance industry (a fair part of which in aviation insurance) I know I'm less likely to come to harm on an aeroplane than I am getting out of the average shower.

Your biggest danger is the in-flight meal and boredom !

Have a stress free flight and a great time in Aus... it's a fantastic place.

Answer 7

The only thing you need to be afraid of on the flight to Australia (and we're presuming you're a Yank), is the BOREDOM.

Oh... and not getting your meal choice, because they've run out of it.

Answer 8

you have more risk driving to the airport than being on a long distance flight to australia. ive taken many hundreds of flights both domestic and international having traveled to 47 countries, i guess you could just stay home and make sure your house does not burn down, seriously, its the safest means of travel, go on vacation to australia and enjoy yourself, have fun.