You're not really looking at an apples to apples comparison. The last generation of piston engine airliners (the only ones really comparable to the jets that r

You're not really looking at an apples to apples comparison. The last generation of piston engine airliners (the only ones really comparable to the jets that replaced them) used massive turbocharged radial engines that were notoriously complex and unreliable because of all the power being squeezed out of them. Today the vast majority of "prop planes" used in commercial airlines are actually turboprops. Piston engines are basically relegated to small private planes.