[bluebomber]

Of course it's about money. Do you intentionally fly with the most expensive carrier on the assumption that they're spending the money on things like reinforced doors, special aluminum-fiberglass luggage containers, etc? Maybe you do, but everyone else I know goes with the lowest priced carrier they can find. So the competition in the industry is all priced based -- of course, since airplane seats are basically a commodity. That's why Southwest Airlines has done so well; they have the lowest costs and thus the lowest prices.

The only reason cars have seatbelts, bumpers, shatterproof windshields, door locks, etc. is because the law requires that they have them. If the law didn't require these things, there would be at least some manufacturer that would come out with a $2000 new car that was basically a death trap. But people would buy it because either a) they're stupid, b) they're incredibly cheap, c) they're dirt poor and it is all they can afford.

Of course, cars are different -- auto manufacturers (especially minivans, Mercedes, Volvo) commonly promote their safety records in ads. That's not what you see in airline ads -- it's all about the money. Maybe if some airline started going on tv and bragging about their safety record, the new things they keep doing to continually improve their safety and security, etc. they would see an increase in their number of passengers per flight. I can see it now: "Fly America West. No crashes, no accidents, no hijackings in 384 days."