I say this as a career pilot. If you’re planning on flying commercially:
1) know the airline. They are not all created equal.
2) know the equipment (aircraft) type. Generally speaking, the bigger, the safer.
3) the cheapest ticket is not the best ticket. It’s usually the worst.
4) Different airlines have different aircraft maintenance. The big ones “usually” use in-house employees (way better). The cheaper airlines subcontract theirs, normally to Mexico.