Originally Posted by darthnomster

My wife was completely terrified of flying until recently.

While it may seem counter-intuitive, what worked for us was to schedule an introductory flight lesson at a local general-aviation airport. The CFI (certified flight instructor) will take some time to explain how planes work, then take him/her up in a plane for a one hour flight. The knowledge of how the aircraft works, with the opportunity to see that it can't be made to drop out of the sky like a brick is strong medicine.