David Saunders
The skies are getting busier than ever. An aviation industry group recently projected that over 260 million people would take to the skies this summer alone. And yet for a sizeable chunk of the cabin, that seatbelt click isn’t a comfort—it’s a starting pistol. Around 25% of passengers feel nervous about flying, with some dealing with Aviophobia: a crippling fear of flying that can keep you firmly on the ground when your life (or holiday) is trying to get airborne.
The good news: this isn’t a character flaw, a weakness, or some personal failure of nerve. It’s a learned threat response—and learned responses can be unlearned. To get to the bottom of what actually helps, we spoke with Dr Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist based in New York City, for practical ways to prepare, cope, and steadily turn flying back into what it usually is: slightly boring transport with a drinks trolley.
1) Understand how flying works (and stop feeding the “unknown”)
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to flying. A good starting point is to pick up a book like Ask the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel by Patrick Smith.
Because when people don’t understand what’s happening during a flight, the mind goes on a sightseeing tour of worst-case scenarios.
What does that odd noise mean? Why do the wings wobble? Could turbulence actually bring a plane down? And what is wind shear?
Educating yourself about these things can demystify air travel. As Dr. Hafeez suggests, learning how planes operate—how they stay in the air and why certain manoeuvres happen—can reduce that sense of helplessness that fuels fear of flying.
And yes: flying is statistically the safest mode of transportation—even safer than driving. The more you understand what’s normal, the less your brain treats “normal” as “danger.”
2) Try Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the workhorse of anxiety treatment
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has a strong track record for treating anxiety, including fear of flying. The core idea is simple: change the thought pattern, change the response.
A therapist may use exposure therapy, where you meet the fear in controlled steps rather than one heroic leap at 35,000 feet. For example:
- Drive to the airport and walk around the terminal
- Watch planes take off and land while practising calming techniques
- Take a short flight with someone you trust
- Gradually build up to longer trips and flying solo
Over time, your brain stops treating flying as an emergency and starts filing it under “annoying queues and overpriced sandwiches”—which is exactly where it belongs.
3) Take a Fear-of-Flying course (structure beats sheer willpower)
If you want something more intensive than reading tips and hoping for the best, consider a fear-of-flying course or clinic, online or in person.
Resources like the online course at fearofflyinghelp.com or the in-person courses offered by the Fear of Flying Clinic provide education plus coping tools.
Notably, the Fear of Flying Clinic—based at San Francisco International Airport since 1976—offers a comprehensive 24-hour program over two weekends, with support from behavioural therapists, pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, and air traffic controllers.
That mix matters: facts from the people who fly and fix planes for a living can be powerfully reassuring, and practical exposure helps reframe flying as manageable.
4) Consider hypnotherapy if your fear lives in the background
For some people, fear of flying is less about logic and more about an old emotional imprint—something the body remembers even when the mind is trying to argue.
Hypnotherapy aims to get at that deeper layer. Maybe it began with a traumatic news report, a past flight with severe turbulence, or a general fear of losing control. Through hypnosis, a therapist may help retrain your subconscious response and replace “plane equals danger” with “plane equals routine.”
It’s not magic. It’s targeted pattern-breaking—sometimes helpful when the fear feels stubbornly out of reach.
5) Audit your media diet: stop rehearsing disaster
It may seem obvious, but if you’re already a nervous flyer, avoid airplane disaster movies and fear-reinforcing content.
News outlets focus on the rare flight that goes wrong, not the thousands that land safely every day. If your brain is collecting “evidence,” don’t keep handing it the kind that spikes anxiety.
6) Build your in-seat calm kit (yes, you’re allowed tools)
Distraction can be your best friend in the air. Create an “inflation toolkit” with calming activities—crossword puzzles, lighthearted books, movies, or soothing music.
Avoid anything heavy or anxiety-inducing, such as true crime or disaster-themed media. Keep your mind engaged with brain games or anything that encourages relaxation and positivity.
Also, watch the stimulants: caffeinated drinks like coffee or soda can crank up physical symptoms that feel like anxiety. Water and herbal teas are safer companions when you’re trying to keep your nervous system steady.
7) Use Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) to calm the body first
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is straightforward and surprisingly effective: tense a muscle group, then release it, while focusing on slow breathing.
As Dr. Hafeez explains, when your body is physically relaxed, it’s much harder to feel anxious. Practising PMR regularly makes it easier to deploy when you need it—like during takeoff or turbulence.
How to do it:
- Lie down or sit comfortably
- Tense a muscle group for 4 to 10 seconds as you breathe in
- Release as you breathe out
- Move through your body until you’ve relaxed each area
It’s a practical way to interrupt the adrenaline loop that can escalate fear of flying.
8) Medication is a last resort, and it must be supervised
If your fear of flying is intense and other strategies haven’t helped, talk to a qualified clinician.
Low doses of benzodiazepines, such as Klonopin or Ativan, are sometimes used to manage acute anxiety during flights. However, they should be used sparingly and only under medical supervision, because they can be habit-forming.
(And for clarity: this is general information, not personal medical advice.)
9) Talk to the crew—and don’t suffer in silence
Before you board, tell the senior flight attendant you’re anxious and flag the moments that tend to trigger you (takeoff, turbulence, landing). Cabin crew are trained to support nervous passengers and will often check in.
If you’re travelling solo, a friendly chat with a fellow passenger can also help. Sometimes, calming the body is as simple as feeling less alone with it.
A simple pre-flight plan for nervous flyers
If you want one clean routine to follow, try this:
- Day before: avoid doom-scrolling and disaster content; sleep early
- Airport: arrive with time; eat lightly; skip excess caffeine
- Boarding: tell the crew you’re anxious; choose calming media
- Takeoff/turbulence: PMR + slow breathing + a fixed focal point
- After landing: note what went better than expected (train the brain)
FAQs
Is fear of flying the same as Aviophobia?
Aviophobia is a more severe form of fear of flying—often intense enough to cause avoidance, panic symptoms, or major distress.
What if turbulence is my main trigger?
Treat it as a “sensations problem” as much as a “thought problem”: slow breathing, PMR, and distraction help your body stop interpreting normal movement as danger.
How long does it take to improve fear of flying?
It varies, but structured approaches like CBT and graded exposure often improve things steadily over time—especially when you practise between trips, not just on flight day.
Bottom line
Flying doesn’t have to be a white-knuckle endurance test. With the right mix of understanding, therapeutic tools, smart preparation, and support, fear of flying becomes manageable—and for many people, it fades into the background where it belongs.
The aim isn’t to “love” flying. It’s to get your life back on schedule—seatbelt fastened, shoulders down, mind steady.
