“I become very fearful when I board a plane because my anxiety makes me feel that I won’t see my family and friends again if the plane crashes,” says Amber Port, Condé Nast Traveller’s audience development manager. “I can become incredibly worried beforehand, which makes the entire flying experience less than ideal.”
Why is fear of flying such a common phobia?
According to Cleveland Clinic, aerophobia affects around 25 million people in the US. Part of the reason for this phobia being so common is the rapid growth of the aviation industry. For the Baby Boomer generation, flying was a scary concept, but they didn’t have to experience it very often. Today, many people travel by plane multiple times per year, resulting in more people having to frequently face a fear of flying.
“We are flying and traveling more than ever now,” Mackley tells us. “We also have more information about flying, planes, crashes and technology. People with a fear of flying tend to struggle with worry and anxiety anyway, in some form, in day-to-day life. Therefore, they do not like uncertainty and not being in control of outcomes. Flying requires that they relinquish control over to the pilot and agree to be passive. This is deemed too risky and so best avoided.”
“It actually helped me to find out that I wasn’t alone with my phobia,” Megan admits. “I did my own research, comparing all sorts of stats for flying against other means of everyday transport, and having open conversations about it with the people around me instead of being embarrassed and feeling alone. It was so interesting to find out that almost everyone I spoke to, while they may not have had a phobia, still had their own little habits, home comforts and herbal remedies.”
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Can you cure a fear of flying?
Luckily, there are several ways those suffering can manage a fear of flying. Below, we talk to people with aerophobia about the methods that help them cope when flying.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
“CBT is the best way to treat a fear of flying. With a fear of flying, the person uses their emotional brain to inform them. When fear is produced, it turns our rational thoughts into fear-based thoughts, which direct our decisions,” Rackley explains. “With CBT, we move back from fear-based thoughts to rational thoughts—so, instead of reacting to what the feeling is telling is, we focus on what the evidence tells us. The person creates a different association in their brain between flying and how they think and feel. Typically, CBT might also include some exposure work, too, to get them back on the plane and flying again.”
