Getting a concensus on the precise quantum of risk faced by airlines and their passengers due to events such as engine failure, terrorist attack etc. is probably impossible. Individual perception about risk is inherently unreliable - many people perceive air travel to be far more risky than road travel even though the available evidence points to the opposite being the case. So-called experts can also be wildly inaccurate when it comes to evaluating risk. However, being cynical to the point of absurdity, what really matters in our business is the public's perception of risk and not reality. The majority of the travelling public do not have sufficient information to make an informed decision about the level of risk they face when travelling with a particular airline or in a particular type of aircraft. However if they believe that a particular airline is safer or more secure than another this will certainly influence their decision about where to spend their money. Clearly seat price is also a big factor but there may now be a sea-change taking place in the air travel sector similar to that which took place in the car market. Twenty years ago none of the major car makers was selling cars on the basis of how safe they were - as this was not sexy. They were sold on price, image, performance, handling, style, level of equipment etc. Volvo, which looked like it was going to go the way of the British car industry, took a different view and marketed all of their range primarily on their in-built safety and reliability. Volvo thrived and made lots of money. Will Virgin be the next Volvo?