The most common question fliers are asked after arriving at the airport: “how was your flight?”  You could answer with complaints about food, seatmates, flight attendants with attitude or turbulence.  But that is all relative.  The bottom line when it comes to judging an airline: they were able to get you to the destination safely.

If you look at the percentages, air travel is much, much safer than braving the highway in a car.  Airplane accidents, though they get a lot of media coverage, are extremely rare.  Most fliers go their entire lives experiencing no more than turbulence and the occasional bumpy landing.

But accidents do happen.  Choosing an airline based on its safety record is reasonable, but does not necessarily  guarantee safety.  Dustin Hoffman’s classic character in Rain Man famously claimed he would not fly any airline besides Qantas because it was the only one that had not had a fatal crash.  A few years ago, a series of incidents turned the Rain Man scene from advertisement into irony.

The Daily Beast recently ranked airlines based on their safety.  For domestic fliers in the US, these statistics should be taken in context.  Every commercial airline in the US has an enviable safety records when compared to lesser known airlines around the world.  Over the past year, Continental saw the most in-flight incidents.  Delta and United were not far behind.  No US carrier has been involved in a major crash since 2001.

Not all airlines put the same premium on safety.  Last year, an Aeroflot plane headed to New York from Moscow was halted when passengers noticed the pilot stumbling and slurring his speech prior to takeoff.  According to a reporter who was on-board, when passengers raised concerns, an Aeroflot employee announced: “It’s not such a big deal if the pilot is drunk.  Really, all he has to do is press a button and the plane flies itself. The worst that could happen is he’ll trip over something in the cockpit.”

Finally, passengers demands for a new crew were accepted.

That was not the worst Aeroflot incident.  Earlier in the  year, a domestic flight crashed, killing 88 people.  Alcohol was found in the pilot’s body.  Another fatal crash occurred in 1994, when a pilot let his 15 year old son take over the controls.  The boy sent the plane into a nose-dive, killing all on board.

But Russia is not the most dangerous place to fly.  According to the EU, Africa has that distinction.  The EU has banned numerous airlines from Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Angola.

Another major international airline with a bad reputation in Garuda, Indonesia’s national carrier.  A series of accidents, most of them involving domestic flights, caused the airline to be banned from EU airspace.  The ban was recently lifted after the carrier cleaned up its act.

The bottom line: if you stick to major commercial carriers, you chances of dying in an airplane crash are akin to hitting the winning lottery numbers.

An amazing deal is available this spring aboard OpenSkies, a premium service airline. Including all taxes and fees, the roundtrip fare is $1,596, which is more than $2,000 off competitors’ business-class fares this spring. OpenSkies offers a unique overseas flying experience, with no more than 84 passengers on each flight.

Book by March 24 for roundtrip travel from March 29 through December this year and enjoy gourmet French cuisine, award-winning wine selections and a personal entertainment system with more than 50 hours of on-demand programming. Relax in a BIZ SEAT, which reclines 140 degrees and provides plenty of legroom while you fly!

Julia Scott at WalletPop is highlighting the great airfare deals to Hawaii, Vegas, NYC, and more that Virgin America, Southwest and United Airlines are offering. With United Airlines all destinations, including London, Paris, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean, are on sale.

Speaking of airfare deals, Air Tran is offering some pretty good deals right now. You’ll find airfare for as little as $44 one way, according to Terri Gruca of KVUE News.

Rent a car that’s miles away from the airport, and you could save a lot of money, according to Christopher Elliott. His article today explores how to avoid airports’ sky-high car rentals in today’s Seattle Times.

An 8 day fly and drive package to Tuscany in the NYTimes includes a seven-day car rental, six nights in a hotel and breakfast daily, starts at $949 a person with departure dates of March 31 and April 7.

Hilton Hotels is offering up to 33 percent off Friday through Sunday stays at more than 520 hotels and resorts worldwide for weekend stays through Dec. 26, must be booked by Jan. 31.

Truth.travel shows us how to get a free companion ticket to Barbados on American Airlines

20 perfect getaways for Valentine’s Day for our friends in or traveling to Europe

Get half-price tickets to Off-Broadway shows such as “STOMP,” “The Fantasticks,” “Avenue Q” and the new “Venus in Fur” in New York City. The “On the House” deal from NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism organization, offers 2-for-1 tickets to more than 20 Off-Broadway shows for February performances.

$17 a night and up for a hotel room in Las Vegas, but these hotel rooms are going fast, so book NOW!

For more great travel deals, be sure to follow @BesTravelDeals on Twitter and subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed.

via Flickr: Andres Rueda

Earning frequent flyer miles is one of the perks of traveling regularly.  However, the effort spent to get those miles, through an airline’s loyalty program or by using a credit card with a miles rewards program, is often disproportionate to the reward.  Average airline credit cards give you one mile (sometimes known as a point) per dollar.  You’d have to spend $25,000 in order to earn a free domestic flight.  That is beyond what the casual consumer is wiling to put on their charge card at any one time.

But not all miles-earning credit cards are equal.  Some award multiple miles per dollar, but are restrictive about when the miles can be used.  Others have high annual fees, but offer a higher miles-per-dollar-spent ratio and other perks like airport lounge access and travel insurance.

Which card is the most useful?  It depends on the kind of travel that a person plans to do and on their spending habits.  With that in mind, here are some of the best credit cards for earning airline miles in 2010.

Basic Credit Cards with No Annual Fees

Miles by Discover Card matches the industry standard of 1 mile for every $1 spent.  But the extra perks offered by Discover, especially during the first year of use, make it a worthwhile choice for casual miles-collectors.  By making a purchase at least once during the month, users qualify to receive an additional 1,000 miles.  That’s a total of 12,000 additional miles during the first year (you are about half-way to a free round-trip flight).  Like many other Discover Cards, qualified cardholders get a 0% APR for the first six months that their account is open.

Blue Sky from American Express is another basic credit card with no annual fee.  New Blue Sky cardholders will enjoy six months of 0% interest.  The AmEx points system works slightly differently than Discover’s, with the first 7,500 points qualifying card-holders for $100 in credit with an airline, hotel, resort, or car rental agency.  Features like ATM access, a global customer service hotline and hotel room guarantees give the Blue Sky an impressive list of extras, especially considering that it is a no-fee card.

Premium Frequent Flyer Cards – These cards have high annual fees but also high dollars-to-miles ratios and extra perks like airport club access.

The American Express Platinum Charge Card is the most heavily promoted card in this market.  Its $450 annual fee seems quite steep, but for card-holders who actually take advantage of all the perks and miles earning potential, it can still be considered a good deal.  The card has a standard $1 for 1 point ratio, but that climbs to 4 points-per-dollar when shopping with American Express “Bonus Points Mall” affiliates.  Industry-leading extras include access to select premium class airport lounges around the world (for the cardholder plus up to two guests).  This access is even available to cardholders who are flying economy class.  American Express also offers concierge service to Platinum members who need help with travel plans or reservations at hotels and restaurants.

The American Express Gold Card ($125 per year fee is waived for the first year) tones down the extras compared the Platinum option, but still offers double points for certain online purchases, a global customer service hotline and worldwide ATM access.

Visa’s exclusive Black Card is their answer AmEx’s high-end cards.  Black has a $495 annual fee and essentially offers the same perks as its platinum counterpart: lounge access (via Priority Pass) and great miles-earning potential.  The Black also offers travel accident insurance coverage up to $250,000, $1,500 for trip cancellation insurance and lost baggage insurance up to $300.

Miles Cards for Specific Airlines – These cards can be the most useful option, especially if you are already a member of a specific airline’s loyalty program.

Delta SkyMiles Credit Card by American Express comes in two varieties.  The Platinum SkyMiles card costs $150 per year, while its Gold counterpart is $95 (with the first year’s fee waived).  Users earn an impressive 20,000 miles with their first purchase using either card (that’s $200 off the price of a flight on Delta or on one of the allied airlines that accept Delta frequent flyer miles).  Card-holders also receive an annual certificate good towards a companion ticket on any flight they book using their SkyMiles card.  The Gold Card awards a $99 discount, while the Platinum bestows one free companion ticket.

The JetBlue American Express Card has the lowest fee of any airline miles credit card at only $40 per year.  Card holders earn the standard 1 point-per-dollar, but that is bumped up to 8 points per dollar when making purchases using the card on jetblue.com.  Also, the card allows members to take advantage of JetBlue’s low prices by trading in miles once they reach the 10,000 mile mark.  Most other cards require users to have at least 25,000 miles before redeeming.

The Virgin Atlantic Black Card stands out by offering 1.5 miles for every dollar spent, as opposed to the usual 1-to-1 ratio offered by other cards.  In addition, flyers are awarded 20,000 bonus points with their first purchase and 3 points per dollar spent on Virgin Atlantic flights, services or merchandise.

The Citi AAdvantage Card is a reasonable option for people who fly the large legacy carrier frequently.  Citi awards cardholders who spend $750 in their first four months of membership with 25,000 free miles (enough for a round-trip ticket).  Miles are always good on flights to anywhere that AA flies.  The annual membership fee is $85 per year, which is slightly lower than similar cards offered by other legacy carriers.

The Chase Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Card is priced even lower than the AAdvanatge, with an annual fee of $59.  Chase offers double miles (2 miles per dollar) for all Southwest purchases.

It is imperative that cardholders read the fine print of both the frequent flyer program of their favorite airline and their miles-earning credit cards.  Also, the miles are not really a money-saver if you carry a balance from month to month on a card that does not offer a 0% introductory APR.  The money paid to interest will far exceed the money saved by earning frequent flyer miles since cards general have at least a 9% APR, with most around 13%-19%.  However, for frequent flyers who are disciplined enough and also belong to a specific airline’s frequent flyer (or loyalty) program, an airline credit card can lead to significant savings.

Celebrity Cruises is offering $200 onboard credit for any Alaskan Cruise tour reserved by Dec. 31

$79 per night for Fall Weekends at Charlotte, NC Hotel. That’s 40% OFF the regular price!

In airline news, Midwest Airlines and Virgin America top Zagat poll of fliers, while JetBlue was named the top large U.S. airline for coach passengers, scoring 19 points on Zagat’s 30-point scale.

Cruising to Alaska? Get 2-for-1 Savings on Top Shore Excursions in Juneau and Ketchikan, including whale watching and helicopter flightseeing tours!

Italy:  Flights plus 5 nights in Venice and Florence for $989 includes air transportation from Los Angeles to Venice and then Florence back to L.A.; two nights in Venice; a first-class train trip from Venice to Florence; three nights in Florence; breakfast daily at both hotels; and all hotel and city taxes.

Lake Powell 2-Night Escape from $139. For just $20 more, upgrades are available to lake and canyon-view rooms.

25% OFF in San Francisco at the trendy Hotel Metropolis, $76-$89 a night.

30% off in San Francisco on a 3 night stay at the Cova Hotel, making it only $77 a night.

40% off in New Orleans at the Ambassador Hotel, $59-$79 a night.

Weekends at Greensboro, NC Marriott for only $79-$84 a night.

Up to 20% Off Black Friday & Cyber Monday Gap Adventures 4-Day Sale.

Enjoy the white sandy beaches of Tunisia while staying at the El Mouradi Palm Marina Hotel. Package price from 669.00 EUR includes: Accommodation, return flights from London Gatwick, airport taxes, fuel surcharges, air passenger duty, Gala meals and transfers to and from resort.

Europe Holiday Package Deals include a 4 star Prague city breaks package from 157EUR.

And skiers, be sure to check out the 9 Top Ski Europe Deals showing the best Earlybird Offers in UK from £239.

$249 for a 5-night Caribbean Cruise from Miami, ports of Call include Miami, Florida; Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; then back to Miami, Florida.

Last Minute Hotel Deals in Miami, FL, only $49 a night for a South Beach Hotel with $100 in Extras if you book by MIDNIGHT Nov 30