We all have become nervous about flying these days, especially on budget carriers, after a series of air accidents here at home and abroad over the past month or so. It is unfortunate that so many innocent, precious lives have perished in recent deadly crashes, which has significantly elevated the fear of flying among us.

On Dec. 29, a Jeju Air plane crash-landed at Muan International Airport and collided with a structure at the end of the runway, bursting into flames. Korea’s deadliest aviation accident on home soil claimed 179 lives, surpassing an Asiana Airlines plane crash in 1993 that killed 66 people. The latest figure is the third-largest number of fatalities involving Korean planes, after the 1983 Korean Air flight shot down by a Soviet fighter jet with 269 fatalities and the 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam claiming 228 lives.

On Jan. 28, an Air Busan plane bound for Hong Kong caught fire while preparing for takeoff at Gimhae International Airport in Busan. All 176 passengers were evacuated safely. But if the fire had broken out mid-air, it could have become another deadly disaster.

Then, the next day (local time) in Washington, D.C., an American........

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