One big difference between benzos and zolpidem is that the latter are allowed by the FAA for occasional use and benzos are not approved at all.
Benzos are (very) old and the side effects and addictive propensities well documented. Zolpidem etc are not all that new either and their side effects are well known. It is indeed true that they can be addictive too (initially it was claimed that they were not) but less so than the benzos.
(Benzos = benzodiazepams such as Diazepam, Temazepam etc)