Last year was one of the safest for airlines with the number of fatal accidents falling by two thirds if you excluded more than 300 deaths resulting from a pilot suicide and possible terror attack.
People enduring the normal chaos of the busy travel period will also face a gauntlet of bomb-sniffing dogs, extra armed officers and the near-certain prospect of even longer lines.
An Antonov cargo plane crashed in the Nile River shortly after take off in South Sudans capital, Juba, killing at least 30 people on board and on the ground.