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Incidents per Flight: 0.0000776
17 documented incidents out of approximately 219,000 flights

With only 17 incidents out of approximately 219,000 flights in 2010, our "least safe" airline on this list is still absurdly safe. The most serious event occurred on Aug. 26 on Flight 262, when the plane’s parking brake became engaged during the approach and throughout the landing itself, resulting in a rough touch down at Sacramento International Airport (SMF) in California. All four main gear tires blew out and air traffic control noticed a small fire and some smoke near the landing gear, leading the pilot to order an evacuation. Seven passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation process. 07 More after the break...

Incidents per Flight: 0.0000701
87 documented incidents out of approximately 1,241,000 flights

You know those times when pilots announce over the intercom that you should be seated and buckle up because there's going to be some turbulence ahead? Well, apparently, they're not kidding. While these incidents were not the fault of American Airlines (which means they don't count toward our incidents ratio), the airline had two significant events in 2010 that were turbulence-related. American Eagle (a regional affiliate of American Airlines) Flight 3224 had an incident on June 28 where severe turbulence led to the pilot declaring an emergency landing after a flight attendant told him that "she could not walk and a passenger [was] bleeding out of the mouth." The plane landed safely in Longview,Texas, but the flight attendant and passenger suffered serious injuries, while three other passengers incurred minor injuries.

The other American Airlines turbulence incident of note was Flight 20 on April 29, which resulted in one flight attendant receiving major injuries, and two attendants and three passengers suffering minor injuries.

06. United Airlines

Incidents per Flight: 0.0000407
49 documented incidents out of approximately 1,204,500 flights

United had a scary moment on Jan. 10, 2010 when the plane’s landing gear on the right side did not fully deploy on Flight 634. Reportedly, the pilot gave fair warning, saying, "We are going to have an unusual landing." The crew initiated brace position and the plane landed in Newark, N.J. with the only partially deployed land gear, shooting sparks up along the runway. Passengers were evacuated by slides. Remarkably, only three passengers received minor injuries. As a courtesy, United refunded passengers' tickets and gave them vouchers toward future air travel.

05. Delta Airlines

Incidents per Flight: 0.0000386
77 documented incidents out of approximately 1,994,725 flights

While all of these commercial planes have multiple engines (two to four, depending on the aircraft), the airlines take it very seriously when one does go down, usually diverting to a nearby airport. On Sept. 27, the pilot had to shut down the right-hand engine on Flight 116 from Atlanta, Ga. to Stuttgart, Germany, leading to a landing in St. John's, Canada. Four days later, the same plane had to shut down the same engine again. A similar incident occurred on Flight 1921 on Dec. 30, with two passengers obtaining minor injuries during the evacuation.

04. Continental Airlines

Incidents per Flight: 0.0000260
23 documented incidents out of approximately 884,395 flights

One of Continental's more interesting incidents in 2010 was not the fault of the airline itself. Flight 239 was headed to Newark, N.J. from Miami, Fla. when the plane got too close for comfort with a Gulfstream II, coming within 1.04 miles laterally and 300 feet vertically of the business jet. Air traffic control error was cited as the cause, with the controller's training records showing "numerous recurring writeups for not maintaining positive control of situations, not taking timely action when required, and use of poor control judgment." There were no injuries suffered on board and no damage to the aircraft.

03. US Airways

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Incidents per Flight: 0.0000212
24 documented incidents out of approximately 1,131,865 flights

On Jan. 19, a US Airways Express regional flight overran the runway due to an incorrect flap setting. What's curious about this incident is that the National Transportation Safety Board found the probable cause to be the" flight crewmembers’ unprofessional behavior, including their nonadherence to sterile cockpit procedures by engaging in nonpertinent conversation, which distracted them from their primary flight-related duties and led to their failure to correctly set and verify the flaps."

Sometimes planes can find trouble before they even takeoff. On June 5, US Airways Flight 704 ran into Flight 413 while taxiing to a runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina. The taxiing airplane sustained only minimal damage, while Flight 413 received significant damage. There were no injuries on either airplane.

02. Southwest Airlines

Incidents per Flight: 0.0000203
23 documented incidents out of approximately 1,131,500 flights

Two of Southwest's more troubling incidents in 2010 were related to cabin pressure. More specifically, the loss of it. Flight WN-778 was on its way to Austin, Texas from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. when it had to make an emergency descent due to loss of cabin pressure. The plane had to be diverted to Fort Myers, Fla. where three passengers were transported to local hospitals. Seven other passengers received medical attention at the airport. Flight WN-1777 also had to make an emergency descent near Birmingham, Vt. because of cabin pressure. While the experience must have been more than a little distressful for passengers (with oxygen masks dropping and everything), the plane landed safely with no reported injuries.

01. AirTran

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Incidents per Flight: 0.0000196
5 documented incidents out of approximately 255,500 flights

While all of the airlines on this list are safe, AirTran is the safest with the lowest number of documented incidents per flight in 2010. But even the victor isn't perfect. On Aug. 12, an engine cowling (the covering that is placed around the engine) separated mid-flight on Flight 807 from Indianapolis, Ind. to Baltimore, Md. The flight crew decided to divert to Dayton, Ohio, where they landed safely and without injury. As an interesting postscript, several metal fragments bearing the AirTran colors and "matching the paint scheme of Airtran engines" were discovered in fields near Knightstown, Ind. between Oct. 13 and Oct. 15. It is yet to be determined if the parts actually belonged to the airplane in question.

This South Carolina city bumped off perennial winner Miami this year; have the good-looking people really migrated north? Charlestonians also score high for friendliness, rank second for their classic sense of style, and even make the top 10 for intelligence. To see if it’s all true, just stroll the streets of this quaint city, which also ranks No. 1 for its noteworthy neighborhoods.

What makes the people of one city so good-looking and the folks elsewhere…well, not so much? Do some cities become magnets for the Greek god and goddess types, or does the mere act of living in a certain area actually have a transformative effect? Whatever the reasons, in this year’s America’s Favorite Cities survey, voters told us that good weather and great shopping go hand-in-hand with attractiveness. San Diego and Miami, for example, did well in all three categories, ending up among the top five cities to find America’s most attractive people. 09 More after the break...

Maybe it’s all those sunny blondes in this SoCal city, or just the fact that everyone looks good when the forecast is perfect (its weather ranks No. 1), but San Diego maintains its No. 2 ranking in this category from last year. Certainly the locals take good care of themselves, jogging along the beaches: the city also ranks No. 2 for its athletic citizens.

This newcomer to the America’s Favorite Cities survey makes a bold entrance into this category. The Georgia city also racks up a huge number of No. 2 berths in the survey, thanks in large part to its ever-so-appealing denizens.

Who cares if these Floridians don’t come off as brainy or even terribly nice? AFC readers ranked them near the bottom for both friendliness and smarts. But though they’ve lost their grip on the No. 1 ranking in this category, Miamians are still top-five material. Perhaps that’s because they seem to be out at the gym (No. 10 for athletic) or just out shopping. Miami ranks No. 9 for luxury boutiques and No. 3 for style.

05. Salt Lake City

Salt Lake is a survey newbie, but that didn’t stop it from cracking the upper echelon of this list. And the Utah natives rank about the same as an overall package: they’re top 10 for being physically active, friendly, and intelligent. They’re a pretty trustworthy bunch too—the city ranks No. 1 for safety.

06. Honolulu

Those island breezes toss the hair in a nice way—and no doubt all that hula dancing nicely tones the abs. The locals in the Hawaiian capital rank sixth for staying fit. And if you want to seize the moment, Honolulu is also the No. 1 city for romance.

07. San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is one of three newcomers to the survey that cracked the top 10 in this popular category. The locals here certainly know how to charm visitors in many ways: they also made it into the top 10 for friendliness and for dressing to the nines (No. 6 for style).

08. Austin

People in the Texas capital are smart (No. 5) and amiable (No. 8 for friendliness), and they stay in shape too (No. 4 for being active). Luckily, it’s fun finding them, too: Austin ranks No. 2 for both its live music and bar scene.

09. Denver

Even though the Mile High City ranks second for its microbrews, there’s no need to pack your beer goggles when coming for a visit. (The city did slip three spots from last year in this category, however.) Denver also ranks No. 2 for its parks and outdoor spaces, and the fit locals make the most of it, ranking No. 1 for being athletic.

10. Nashville

Something about those cowboy hats must flatter the face—and being able to sing doesn’t hurt either. Music City types don’t go for rhinestones as much as they used to, which maybe helped them land at No. 10 for style. But folks are still plenty country: they rank No. 10 for farmers’ markets and No. 3 for a howdy-there friendliness.