Maybe there is hope for the guy I once sat next to who really, really didn't like to fly....

Wow! This sound like me too. It's nice to know that I'm not alone - I developed a fear of flying after years of happily doing 50-100k per year. I think maybe something at the back of my mind was quietly suggesting "statistics will catch up with you! It's only a matter of time before something happens".

I'm with Jakebeth and you on this. After a lifetime of fearless flying, a string of hellacious turned me into a fearful flyer. Didn't keep me from flying, but I was a nervous wreck for a couple of years.

What turned it around? A better understanding of the mechanics of flight and turbulence. FT has also made a big difference. Instead of worrying about the flight, I now look at how good is the crew, are the seats comfortable, what's the food look like and try to remember what traveling was like in Y. The last thought is the only one that still brings shudders

I am a 47 yr old Male who flew Piper Cherokees and sky dived.
Never had a panic attack in my life, and frankly love speed, height and danger. Never felt claustrophobic, but wouldn't want to be a sewer guy or plumber in really tight spaces.

When LH began flying PHX-FRA non-stop in 2001 I tried to use UA miles for our Spring trip to Europe, but no go. I tried to buy Biz class and no go as they were sold out for anything around the dates we wanted. I ended up buying three coach tix for my wife, son and I but asked for the three seats over to the starboard side of the plane, which they booked. When we arrived at Sky Harbor, LH tossed us in the middle section. I am 6'4" 220# and need an aisle to stretch my legs. My wife and I switched (bless her!), but on take off the three drunk Germans in front of us plopped back and their seat back was inches from my nose! To make matters worse, the LH seats had an arm that extended out to where not only could I not stretch my leg out in the aisle, but it encroached on my thigh (I am not fat....) so much it caused a severe bruise. Half way across the Atlantic I had a panic attack and was sure that I was having heart attack. I ended up sleeping standing up next to the lavs. We tossed the return tix and I used UA miles to fly biz back via ORD.

I went 2 years with no panic attacks so figured that it was a one off. However in the Fall of 2003 I began having them again when sitting in any seat other than aisle and a few times in aisle/Coach. I was a 2M UA flyer, I logged 442 segments WN '99, and was on a couple of really nasty weather flights over the years. So it's not a fear factor, it's the trapped feeling. I don't get it when I am in a tight space though I still don't like tight spaces, but no panic attacks. It's only in tight spaces with other people around such as an elevator in an LA office building.

Went to my doc to ensure that I didn't have a circulatory or respiratory problem; panic attacks can be an early indicator of these types of problems. We ruled that out and he tried a couple of SSRIs and SNRIs to no avail. Pain killers and opiates don't work on me (now THAT I admit is weird!) so this was not a surprise. I ended up studying CBT on my own and it helps. My worst time is while the plane is loading - "the thundering herd" really gets to me. I listen to my MP3 player, read and try to ignore loading.

Finally, I don't fly unless I am in F or get an aisle near the front.

:-: Good luck and best wishes for working through this! ^

Hi back at you, Dogmom - missed you at the last little do on the
peninsula last week.

Having panic attacks is not anything to be ashamed of, even
though many (including sufferers) seem to think so. I once
considered starting an anxiety-sufferers' support society whose
members would wear some discreet sort of insignia (like an FT
lapel pin), so as to be able to access an identifiable support
system in extremis. But then I stopped drinking coffee ...

A) It's difficult not to feel ashamed when you've tried to build your reputation as a "frequent flyer"!

B) More seriously - I hate the idea of having a visible panic attack on an airplane, because I think of how I would react if someone else were to freak out near me. I'd hate to be the cause of someone else's panic.

C) Part of the reason I've fought so hard to get over my fear is that I don't want to pass it down to my children. I'm really worried that if my daughter, for example, senses fear from me on an airplane, it might cripple her ability to travel anxiety free.

I dunno, having made US1 last year (to drop to US2 next year) and
having had 49 segments on regional or smaller aircraft in the last 11
months, no shame applies. I've made no bones about disliking anything
smaller than a 757 (sometimes I say 767), but circumstances and the
lust for extra segments take precedence. Of course, my own anxiety issues
kick in on ground transportation (crowded buses, e.g.) far more than air.

Agreed, but is your vulnerability going to trigger someone else's, or will
it be a distraction by appealing to their sense of protectiveness. Don't
be afraid of showing a little weakness - that fear in itself may make the
episode even more intense.

This has a lot of resonance with your (B) above. I think it's a two-way
street, or a Catch-22, or something with twos in it. You're either going
to project fear or project the effort of mastering the fear. Six of one,
12 of the other.

but slightly OT.
It's happened in the Tube in London, and recently on a full, narrow-body where there was no AIR.
If I start to overheat, and fanning (hand, safety demo card, magazine whatever) doesn't cool my face, I get r e a l l y panicky and start pulling off layers and heading to floor level where (a) the air is usually cooler, and (b) I won't have so far to fall if/when I faint.
Recently I swam upstream against pax boarding, to stand in the galley opposite entry where there was enough cooler air coming in through the jetway. When I mentioned I was going to faint for lack of air, the FA grabbed the intercomphone and said, "Captain, we're going to have people fainting if we don't get some air in the cabin." Almost before she hung up the air packs were on full tilt. Makes me wonder; does the flight deck know or care or even avert...?