Top tips for the fearful flier.

Most of us have been standing in line, ready to board our flight and noticed one or two passengers seeming a bit reluctant.

Statistically at least 1 in 6 adults have a fear of flying, also known as aviophobia or aerophobia. It’s also estimated that 35% of all airline crews, flight attendants and pilots have either a fear of heights of flying too.

The fear of flying has many different components, many of them stemming from fears such as enclosed spaces, heights, strange sounds, sitting in conditioned air, crowded situations, lack of control, and more recently, terrorism.

Everyone has some degree of flying fear. There’s enough detailed accounts flying around in the media (no pun intended) about previous airline fatalities and the fact of the matter is we’re placing ourselves in a small cylindrical tube, loaded with flammable liquid, being flown by someone we’ve never even met, let alone seen – it would be unnatural not to feel slightly uncomfortable with flying. It’s worth emphasising that despite what we’ve mentioned above, a plane is a sturdy and complex piece of engineering, which is designed to withstand far more stress and pressure than what occurs on a usual flight. It’s also good to remember that attached to the ‘small cylindrical tube’ are a set of thoroughly designed wings and winglets that play home to some incredibly powerful engines. Despite this, people who have a fear of flying will often find their brain jumps to the worst case scenario, “If an engine fails were going to plummet out of the sky and die!” However planes are designed in such a way that if one or even two engines fail, they have the capability to glide safely back down to earth.

You may not realise but statistically air travel is the second safest mode of mass transportation in the world; second only to the escalators and elevators. Your chances of being involved in an aircraft accident sit at approximately 1 in 11 million, and your chances of been killed on a single flight are even lower at 1 in 29.4 million, compare this to 1 in 5000 for a car accident – so in reality your drive to the airport is, statistically, a lot more dangerous than the 17 hour flight from Auckland to Dubai. And even so, if you are unlucky enough to be that 1 in 29.4 million and be involved in a fatal aircraft accident (by fatal we mean complete decimation of the aircraft i.e. almost unidentifiable as aircraft wreckage) the survival rate still sits at 24%. Whilst that may seem low to a lot of people, we are talking about fatal accidents, the survival rate for aircraft accidents (fatal and non-fatal combined) is much higher at 96%. In summary you have more chance of dying from consuming the food onboard that being involved in any type of accident.

So with all these wonderful statistics and knowledge about planes, you probably want to know some tips to make that next plane journey less stressful.

Don’t conceal it. Tell the member of staff when you check in, the flight attendant when you board, and most importantly the passengers around you when you sit down. Being scared of flying is nothing to be embarrassed about – as we mentioned above it’s actually very common – so gaining the support of those passengers around you takes away the frustration of suffering in silence.

1. Frame turbulence. Going over a bump in the road driving your car wouldn’t be a scary experience for most, but quite often in a plane it’s extremely unnerving. Think of turbulence as the plane going over a bumpy road, it’s a little more wobbly than the nice smooth road but it’s nothing unusual that the plane can’t handle. Try not to tense up or fight it, and let your body sway with the aircraft movements.
2. Try and get a seat at the front of the cabin. It’s a well known fact turbulence and sudden movements are much greater nearer the rear of the plane. So if you do have a severe fear of flying sitting nearer the front can help.
3. Have knowledge. Everything we’ve spoken about already has given you knowledge, whether it’s about the mechanics of flying or about the statistics of actually being involved in an aircraft accident. Anxiety thrives on ignorance, and often feeds off “what if” catastrophic thoughts, but now you’ve got the facts these thoughts can be limited by them. It won’t remove the fear of flying but will make it more manageable.
4. Distract your mind. As above, knowledge is power, combine this with watching a movie, reading a book or completing a crossword puzzle. Try to keep your mind active and not dwell on morbid possibilities. If you do find yourself dwelling on morbid thoughts, remind yourself of number 4 and carry on enjoying that movie.
5. Relaxing music. Listen to peaceful and calming music. Our minds can wander and worry about sounds that are perfectly normal in-flight noises. Really try to focus your breathing and zone in on your music. This is also a good time to practice mindfulness, and there are lots of other ways you can pass the time too.