WesleyWolf

So next month I'm flying from Washington State to Belfast, though my flight path may be: Seattle > Heathrow > Belfast, or it may be: Seattle > Belfast.

Now before I get started here, I would like to state that I have at least 90,000 air miles, and fly regularly, I'm 17.

For some reason, out of nowhere, I have developed this stupid anxious feeling when I think about flying. I don't know why, seeing as I have flown from America to the UK my entire life.

My thinking has brought upon the conclusion that this "Flying Anxiety" has come from the recent problems involving the Malaysian flight problems. Another reason maybe that I have been watching Documentaries about the Islamic State, and how they have warned about "Sleeper Cell attacks" in the West.

Whenever I think about my flight next month, the thought of something happening to the Plane 30,000 feet in the air always pops into my head.. And it scares me to death.

I know that flying is amazingly safe, but that thought remains in the back of my mind, "What if the Engines fail?", "What if there is a Terrorist on board?", "What if I never get to see my family again?". These thoughts always end up making me wish I never have to fly again, but I literally have to.

I'll be flying with British Airways. Can somebody tell me if I'll be flying on a 777-200, 777-300 or a 747-400, and which is the safest of the trio?

Also any tips on how to get these stupid thoughts out of my head.

Thanks for taking your time reading this, sorry for making it so long, but I'm really worried.

Cheers.

t325

What if you die in a car crash on the way to the airport? Because the odds of that far exceed the odds of dying in a plane crash.

Any of those planes are safe. Pick whichever one has a better cabin or offers more convenient flight times.

Jeannietx

Right off first thing, quit watching those documentaries!

Watching stuff like that is like a little kid watching monster/axe murder movies, and then goes to bed at night and is afraid someone/something is going to come out of the closet or from under the bed and get them. You are basically conditioning yourself to be fearful and afraid to fly. Don't do that to yourself.

Riding down the street on a bike, walking across the street, or riding/driving a car, are far more dangerous then flying in a plane.

jspira

Hi Wesley. It's not stupid. Anxiety can be - and is - very real.

I'm sure chatting here will help somewhat but it also might help to just talk in person with a friend. Maybe there's something else troubling you as well and, in combination, you are feeling a greater amount of anxiety than usual.

Alternatively, think of it this way. Have you gone up an escalator recently? Statistically, they have a higher fatality rate.

Finally,I would advise that you stop watching the documentaries you are watching and focus on fun stuff that you'll enjoy watching and that take your mind off things.

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk WesleyWolf. As a Moderator I took the liberty of changing the title of your thread.
FT is a great community and I trust that some of your fears will soon be assuaged by our friendly, helpful posters.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

bmam7

WesleyWolf

Firstly I'd agree with other posters about not watching such documentaries and the inherent dangers of even crossing the street.

Anxiety is a real condition, not to be taken lightly. I've have panic/anxiety attacks for around 30 years which come out of the blue and at one time would do anything I could to avoid travel by air, drive through a tunnel, cross a particular bridge, attend a theatre performance and a whole myriad of events. Left untreated, it can take over.

It sounds (and deep down one knows it is) irrational and it is very difficult to explain to someone who has not suffered from this condition, but some of the suggestions above - talking to a friend and also thinking about if there is anything else underlying a feeling of anxiety - are good ideas.

As a last resort a talk with your medical practitioner might be a good idea. There is medication that can help (and I'm not talking addictive stuff) but even having a bottle in your possession may allay any fears, without even resorting to using it.

A personal anecdote: I was travelling home from Chicago after a medical emergency in Tennessee whilst I was on holiday. I had a deep fear about a 15 hour flight across the Pacific and the specialist would not prescribe any form of calming medication as she was not "my primary carer". My friend bought me a small packet of Jelly Bellies and said "The green ones are in case you feel a panic attack coming on". Needless to say, I didn't need any of the green ones (but I enjoyed eating the other flavours!) and the flight was totally uneventful.

Sorry this is a long post but it illustrates that we can actually talk ourselves into stressful situations. I certainly have but I find that simply sitting down, breathing calmly, thinking pleasant thoughts and, when on board, occupying yourself and simply enjoying the journey works wonders. I got over my fear of flying ages ago and now look forward to my flight. Even turbulence does't bother me whereas once upon a time I'd be saying "please make it stop!"

I wish you all the best and, please, don't torment yourself by thinking that they are "stupid" thoughts. They are not, but they can be mastered.

USA_flyer

As a fellow sufferer may I offer some tips on top of what the others have offered.

1. Get a good nights sleep before you fly. It is hard to be rational and level headed when you are exhausted, sleep is vital to our mental well being and our ability to cope with stressful situations.

2. Have a good meal. This is also to promote well being.

3. Practice some meditative breathing techniques. There are some very good apps you can get for your smartphone that can encourage relaxation and calming breathing.

4. Have things to distract yourself with, movies, a book you've been saving for a long journey, sudoku, whatever floats your boat.

5. Avoid non-prescription stimulants (alcohol, tobacco, caffeine). These just either excite or depress the nervous system and affect your behaviour in stressful situations.

6. Don't be afraid to ask your Dr for some sedatives, I always have some with me when I travel. I rarely use them, just knowing I have them means that if the anxiety becomes intolerable, I will be able to get myself calm again.

7. Give yourself plenty of time to do anything. Having time pressure will just add to the stress.

With a successful trip under your belt, you will be able to realise and internalise that flying can be fun!

Unimatrix One

Wow, you sound like me when I was 17! Until then I had flown fairly often and never had any problem. Then, around 17, I suddenly developed a fear of flying. I suggest you try the tips already given. Also, cognitive therapy can be very helpful. Look for the "Feeling Good Handbook" by David Burns and read the chapters on anxiety. This was very helpful for me.

lakers6902

A few years back when I was in UlaanBaatar, I had a really bad hangover which lasted for two days. Staying in at the hostel, the only English Channel offered was national geographic. And the only show playing was Air Disasters. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to my flight back home

Centurion

The next terrorist event will not be a plane in all probability. Most likely your fear comes from change of surroundings. I think you are transferring your fear. My PhDs come from www university.

PLeblond

Welcome to FT!!

My sister in law had something similar happen. After many years of flying from a very young age, she suddenly developed intense anxiety. A little older than you, but very similar. I am not sure what her triggers were/are, but that is not the point.

The point is; You are not alone with these issues.

The two planes in question are amongst the safest planes currently in operation. In addition, they are two of the smoothest planes when in turbulence. Bigger planes are less 'bouncy'. On top of that, British Airways is a top notch operator with an excellent safety and maintenance record.

I am not a medical professional but, as you probably know, there is no magic trick to solve this. It might be worth visiting a medial professional to see if a prescription might be in order. Even if you chose to not use it, having it with you might make you feel better and start the process of controlling your anxiety when flying.

Good luck and enjoy your flight.

TheEmirate

I find that having a few drinks before and during the flight helps relax you if you are a nervous flyer.

dinoscool3

Considering the OP is 17, that might be hard to pull off

JetAirways77W

Welcome to FT!

I guess I'm the complete opposite of you as I love flying. However I know a whole lot of people who are scared of flying. I always tell them that statistically speaking, the most dangerous part of a plane journey is the ride to the airport.

To actually answer your questions about 777-200 vs 777-300 vs 747-400, I'll give you the statistics.

777-200/200ER/200LR: 5 incidents with 540 deaths (the bulk of that - 537 - are from the two Malaysian crashes).

777-300/300ER: 1 incident with 0 deaths (a small fire in Boston but nobody died)

747-400: 5 incidents with 89 deaths

So to answer your question, the 777-300/300ER is the safest. However almost all of the incidents were caused by pilot error. In addition, the last fatal accident that British Airways had was in 1976 - almost 40 years ago.

I cannot tell which plane you'll get unless you tell me your flight number.

EDIT: Looked on FlightAware and there are two flights SEA-LHR - BA48 and BA52. BA48 is operated by a 777-300ER (the safest) and BA52 is operated by a 747-400 (second safest). BA48 is the 7PM flight and BA52 is the 2PM flight.

EDIT 2: London to Belfast (LHR-BFS) is operated by an Airbus A319 which has never had a fatal accident (or any accident for that matter).

BigOrangeTerp

Maybe you have anxiety? Like the disorder?

I've been flying since I was like 2 years old. Never had much fear of it. In fact I usually looked forward to flying until I hit my teenage growth spurt and stopped fitting in coach seats comfortably (this was before they started making Main Cabin Extra a thing).

Then two years ago, I just felt really uneasy about taking a flight. I was worried about all sorts of things: depressurization, mechanical failure, deep vein thrombosis, hell I even worried I'd have a heart attack and we'd be too far from any airport for me to be saved. If you knew me, you'd find it particularly bizarre because I'm a pretty rational by-the-numbers guy. And yet even though I knew that the chances of any of that happening were incredibly low, I still thought to myself "I'm gonna be that 1 in a million."

A few months later I'd finally had enough (I was anxious about way more than just flying at this point) and talked to my doctor. Ultimately decided that I have mild General Anxiety Disorder. Now I just take some medicine for it, talk to my doctor once in a while, and stick to some routines and what not to keep it in check. Been fine since spring of 2013 now

Now as for your specific upcoming flights, I would say just be rational. When you start getting anxious thoughts, confront them. Hell, speak out loud if you have to. If you think "what if the plane pulls an MH370?", tell yourself "That's ridiculous. The chances of that are so low that I may as well buy a lottery ticket and see if I win." One must also learn to wonder why that makes one anxious. For me, part of the reason I was so worried is because I'm bloody young and felt like I'd been doing nothing with myself. I sure as hell didn't want to go out without having achieved something. Then I started taking stock and counting my blessings as it were, and realized that I've done alright so far. There's really something to be said about just taking things in the moment and accepting that at some point, it's gonna be over, so just make the most of each day you have.