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Any "Fear of Flying" Suggestions?

Any "Fear of Flying" Suggestions?

Old Jun 27, 2009, 10:10 am
  #1  
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Any "Fear of Flying" Suggestions?

Hi all -- long time lurker, recent first time poster.

My 16 year old neice had a very bumpy flight from DEN - MIA last summer and now has told her Mom (my sis) that she is afraid to fly back to DEN in July for her internship. She is not a frequent flyer but her internship is 1) important to her, 2) enjoyable and 3) good for her career path. She wants to go but is scared to death about getting back on a plane.

I have done a search of the forums and Googled the terms but have turned up precious few ideas that do not wreak of snake oil. I hope that some of the FF'ers on this board can steer me / her in the right direction. Thanks in advance.........
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 10:35 am
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I can't offer any tips about getting over the fear of going to the airport, checking-in, the boarding process, etc.

The only thing I can offer is during turbulence, if you have a window seat or can see out through one, keep focused on the horizon. This is a similar tactic to combating seasickness, but I have found that for the really bad cases of turbulence, this tends to help a little. It helps remove that fear of being "stuck in a thin aluminum tube" since you have some perspective on the outside.

Best of luck!
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 10:40 am
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Get her an MP3 player or good book to help pass the time when in the air.

Ask her about seating -- does a window add to her comfort or discomfort.

Try to avoid medication. If she is alone, last thing she needs is to be drugged as she leaves the plane. Ginger candy can help prevent air sickness as can a few medicines with minimal side effects.

Now air sickness is not the problem, but adressing it seems like you are doing something to lessen her problem.

Remind her without preaching that air travel is the safest form of long distant travel. Tell her that the pilots and crew have families and no parachutes. They will not fly if they believe conditions are dangerous.

If that doesn't help, offer her a bus ticket but warn her of long hours, bad food, few rest stops and possible undesirable fellow passengers. Also, the risk of getting hurt is much higher than flying.

Good luck. There are fear of flying books you might want to get for her.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 10:41 am
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You don't say when in July she's going, but maybe a shorter (hopefully turbulence free) RT can be quickly put together for a reasonable price? I'm guessing the length of the flight aggravates her nervousness, and maybe a shorter flight that's smooth would reassure her.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 10:49 am
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Originally Posted by mshaikun
Tell her that the pilots and crew have families and no parachutes. They will not fly if they believe conditions are dangerous.
Great point! ^
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 11:12 am
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Originally Posted by FlynGyn
Hi all -- long time lurker, recent first time poster.

My 16 year old neice had a very bumpy flight from DEN - MIA last summer and now has told her Mom (my sis) that she is afraid to fly back to DEN in July for her internship. She is not a frequent flyer but her internship is 1) important to her, 2) enjoyable and 3) good for her career path. She wants to go but is scared to death about getting back on a plane.

I have done a search of the forums and Googled the terms but have turned up precious few ideas that do not wreak of snake oil. I hope that some of the FF'ers on this board can steer me / her in the right direction. Thanks in advance.........
I have been flying since I was 17. I joined the army then and flew home whenever I could. I never had a problem until I was stationed in Korea in 1986. The flight over was straight out of a movie and scared me so bad, I extended my one year tour 2 more years because I was scared to fly home.

I fly now for work but still have the fear, as irrational as it may be. I have a prescription for Xanax that really helps. I would bet that if she saw her family doctor and explained the situation, he would issue a low dosage (prob 0.25mg) prescription for the flight(s). This might not be the solution you are looking for and probably not the best long term solution, but for a one time journey I am sure it will help. Before you flame me remember I am just offering a suggestion.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 11:24 am
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Thanks for all those recommendations. The flight is in two weeks aboard a non-stop from Miami to Denver so I'm not sure how much of her time is available to arrange a dry run on a short hop.

Are there any books, video courses or programs that any of you have tried with success? Any online resources I can suggest to her / her Mom?

Thanks again.......I am grateful for your advice.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 1:09 pm
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As this is a general travel question and not a DL issue I am moving this thread over to TravelBuzz.

RSSrsvp - Moderator
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 3:06 pm
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Have you looked at the website www.fearofflying.com? Many years ago several airlines had fear of flying classes. I took the one offered by American Airlines that IIRC was called AAirBorn. It gave you tools to handle your anxiety when flying. I used some of the tools, but I found the thing that helped me the most was reading a book to take my mind off the fact I was flying in an airplane. In your niece's case maybe doing puzzles will help take her mind off the fact she is flying.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 3:55 pm
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There is a very famous soccer star Dennis Bergkamp who is afraid of flying too.

Dennis Bergkamp is well known for having a disabling fear of flying, which developed after the Dutch squad were involved in an incident concerning their aircraft during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. The Dutch squad travelled together with a group of journalists, one of whom made remarks about the long waiting time, wondering if there was a bomb on the plane. This provoked a panic amongst passengers and in particular Bergkamp. This incident reminded Bergkamp of a plane crash which killed many Surinamese-Dutch players when they flew to Suriname. Ever since, Bergkamp has had a dislike of flying. This gave rise to the nickname the non-Flying Dutchman, a variation on The Flying Dutchman. He was thus often unable to play for Arsenal outside of England. He would, if required, take a train or drive there himself. The tiring nature of such long journeys to Europe forced him to miss domestic matches around European away games.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 5:33 pm
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Originally Posted by phoenixgck
There is a very famous soccer star Dennis Bergkamp who is afraid of flying too.

Dennis Bergkamp is well known for having a disabling fear of flying, which developed after the Dutch squad were involved in an incident concerning their aircraft during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. The Dutch squad travelled together with a group of journalists, one of whom made remarks about the long waiting time, wondering if there was a bomb on the plane. This provoked a panic amongst passengers and in particular Bergkamp. This incident reminded Bergkamp of a plane crash which killed many Surinamese-Dutch players when they flew to Suriname. Ever since, Bergkamp has had a dislike of flying. This gave rise to the nickname the non-Flying Dutchman, a variation on The Flying Dutchman. He was thus often unable to play for Arsenal outside of England. He would, if required, take a train or drive there himself. The tiring nature of such long journeys to Europe forced him to miss domestic matches around European away games.
Um, OK. That's really helpful to a 16 year old girl who's afraid to get on a plane.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 7:34 pm
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The point I want to make is that fear of flying is not uncommon and we should not force them to get on the plane. We can think of some other ways.

Originally Posted by NotDuncan
Um, OK. That's really helpful to a 16 year old girl who's afraid to get on a plane.
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Old Jun 27, 2009, 10:14 pm
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I was going to suggest "drink heavily" until I saw her age!

I flew the first time when I was 11 and fell in love with it, until........Turkish Airlines domestic in the 1980's. The pilots still thought they were in their F5's or something as they would ascend/descend at max velocity and put the thing on their wing tips every now and then, 1 out of 3 flights I seriously thought we were in trouble.

It was years before I wasn't very anxious during flying, especially during turbulence and would get well lubricated while flying in order to be relaxed. I know it's not much help to a 16 yo girl but sometimes you just have to buck up and do what you need to do.
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Old Jun 28, 2009, 7:53 am
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I would suggest an aisle seat, a book, and an iPod. Over the past few years I've become increasingly anxious about flying, I have no idea why. I don't let that stop me from doing it though.

It's the takeoff I hate, which used to be my favorite part, I'm OK once we hit cruising. That's one of the reasons I prefer the aisle, because it's easier to avoid looking out the window. I can sleep on planes so I usually try to nap when the door closes and will wake up at crusing. If that doesn't work, the book and the iPod do.

Turbulence also bothers me a great deal. When it happens, I focus on a flight attendant. It's routine to them, and seeing that they're not bothered always calms me. If they're not worried, I shouldn't be either.

A couple of drinks help too, but that's not a solution for a 16-year-old. A few short years...

Bums me out, because I do enjoy traveling and my anxiety has really put a damper on it. If it ever gets to the point that I can't fly because of it, I'll seek psychological help, but it's not so severe that I see that happening.
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Old Jun 28, 2009, 8:13 am
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Originally Posted by Gator11
Have you looked at the website www.fearofflying.com?
That's an expensive commercial site far as I can tell. But http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/ offers a free course. I did not spend enough time on the site to be sure the free isn't just a teaser. I know at the end it asks for voluntary donations.

Google "fear of flying" for more sites.
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