Cruise Alt,
It may be a fallacy to say all airlines are equally safe, but it is an equal fallacy to use published fatality statistics, as air accidents are such a rare occurence, and there are often too few of them to make "statistically significant" comparisons.
When questioning air safety, I would use the cliche that the drive to the airport (or in some cases the walk across the road on the way to the station / bus stop etc) is the most dangerous part of the journey. Mile for mile, IIRC, flying is 164x safer than driving, despite the UK having some of the safest roads in the world. Our fatality rates for pedestrians and cyclists still leave a lot to be desired.
Quite frankly, I'm sick of all the "your safety is our top priority" patronising comments airlines and rail companies like to chunder out these days. I would consider any of the factors anguspm mentions below long above safety record any time, unless I was going to chuck myself out of the plane in a parachute, or take part in some other kind of genuinely dangerous pursuit.