You know the most important sentence in this entire post? This one:

“The airline industry is both safe and reliable; I don’t think twice about hopping aboard aircraft all over the world with my family and friends.” -Rick Seaney, ABCNews.com, 7-8-09

That said, the European Union keeps a so-called blacklist of airlines it considers “unsafe” and bans them from its airspace – and the FAA has a similar list of airlines it says need improvement in terms of oversight and training. This is the subject of my latest weekly column for ABCNews.com. Check out these lists – educate yourself.

Predictably, many banned airlines are in developing nations – and many only fly within their own borders (or neighboring countries). Remember, too, that problems can occur with airlines in wealthy nations (which makes it nice to know we have our share of Captain Sully’s out there).

There are also thousands of well-trained crew members whose main task is your safety. But you have to do your part, and here are some tips:

• Watch your alcohol consumption: The more alert you are, the better you’ll be able to respond to any emergency.
• Keep your seatbelt on: Turbulence and other problems can come out of nowhere – keep the belt on, even if the “buckle-up” sign is dark.
• Count your seat rows: This is the best way to figure out where the exits are.
• Keep quiet and listen: The crew may give important directions – if you can’t hear them, you won’t know what to do.
• Stay calm: Easier said than done, I know, but keep it together to make an orderly exit from the plane if so directed – panic slows everyone down.
• Leave it all behind: Anything you brought on board can be replaced, with the exception of yourself – if you take the time to fumble for that laptop or grab that purse, you may lose everything.