The interior of an airplane...what does that have to do with the overall mechanical maintenance? I understand your husband's concerns. Ever wonder how old those JetBlue planes are? they could be a lot older than you think but the interior may be in better shape.

The merger with USAirways is NOT going to cause you to "lose all my points" and why would it? Airline mergers happen and FF plans are usually MERGED. Regardless, nothing is going to happen that will affect you prior to your flight in August.

American is refurbishing the interiors of the 757s and retiring some along with all the old (fuel-inefficient) MD-80s, and replacing them with new 737s and Airbus single-aisle planes. In a year or two AA is going to have the "youngest" fleet among US carriers.

Maintenance of the airframes and critical systems is based on stringent FAA rules, so AA's financial troubles (they're probably emerging from bankruptcy in a few weeks) are irrelevant to aircraft maintenance. They're as safe as any.

Your miles are safe.

American is repainting its planes right now as it launches an advertising campaign. The bright new exterior has no effect on the comfort inside nor the safety. Paint or wide seats do not keep the thing up in the air. Planes can have long and safe lives if properly maintained and the layman has no way of judging the mechanicals. So we fall back on the incidentals, such as whether there is a personal audio-video service, which are far from the fundamental concerns.

As others have said, I wouldn't worry so much about safety. I can't remember the last time I heard about an American plane crashing -- or any other major airline, for that matter. I'd be more inclined to go with Jetblue because it's more comfortable and because I'd rather use the American miles on a better trip than NY-Florida, unless the fares are just so high.