gives a list of plane crashes since 1998. It is hard to miss the conclusion that most of these crashes involved cheapo fly-by-night airline either from the first or third world countries. Of 40+ incidents reported there (and taking out 9/11), only 4 (four) involved major airlines, of which one (Oct 8, 2002 SAS crash in Milan) was caused by another aircraft (a small private plane). The rest of them involved discount or cheap third world air carriers, which is hardly surprising, since most of these carriers operate aging aircraft.
Two observations seem to be in order: 1. The not-so-well-off are disproportionally paying the price of deregulation that put these shadowy operators of aging aircraft in business; 2. Flying on the cheap does not pay; having a better chance of arriving in one piece is worth a few extra bucks for the air fare.
Wojtek