Fear of flying

Many people think nothing of getting on an aeroplane, be it for business or pleasure – they see it as nothing more than a method of getting from A to B and will not be unnerved by bumpy take offs or landings or a little turbulence on the way. But for some people, the mere thought of getting on a plane can fill them with abject horror – which could have a major impact on how people live their lives.

Former Arsenal and Holland football player, Dennis Bergkamp, had a well-documented case of aviophobia (or aerophobia) – fear of flying. He was so severely affected that it meant missing a number of football matches that would have required air travel – he was also known to have caught the train or driven to distant matches rather than fly.

Bergkamp is not alone. According to the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), fear of flying is said to affect one in ten of the population, if not more. But how badly are people affected and what are the causes?

Extent and symptoms

The BABCP says that people with a fear of flying fall into three categories:

• Those who avoid flights altogether
• Those that restrict flying to an absolute minimum and experience considerable discomfort before and/or during the flight
• Those that have a continuous mild or moderate apprehension, but don’t avoid it even though it remains an unpleasant experience

There are many aspect of flying that people are afraid of. The more common ones are fearing the plane will crash, a fear of heights or of confinement/being enclosed, a fear of suffocation, turbulence/bad weather, and a fear that they will panic or lose control.

Quite how people are affected varies with each individual, with people suffering from mild anxiety and unease to full-blown panic attacks, including hyperventilation. Others can become incredibly claustrophobic. In some cases the fear is so intense that people who have got on a plane simply have no alternative but to disembark. Others may suffer from nausea and palpitations.

What are the causes?

There are a number of reasons why people have a fear of flying and the BABCP points to past experience as a major contributor. People who have been on flights where there have been problems such as major turbulence, technical failures, emergency landings or the individual has become ill, can develop a phobia.

Reports of plane crashes and terrorist attacks have also served to heighten the fears of the general public.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority the worldwide rate of fatal accidents for public transport operations is now only 0.2 per million flying hours and the UK is among the world leaders in terms of its national safety record – there are approximately 2 million flights per year in UK regulated airspace. Yet despite this, people’s lives are being affected by what is, essentially, an irrational fear.

But what can people do if they have a fear of flying?

There are a range of treatment options available to people who have a fear of flying. It is always advisable to speak to your GP in the first instance and see what he or she recommends depending on the severity of your phobia.

Some of the more common treatments for aviophobia are:

• Courses – some of the major airlines, including Virgin and BA, offer fear of flying courses. Here, nervous flyers learn about how a plane works, how the pilots are trained, what they would do in an emergency, stages of the flight and facts about aeroplane safety. These courses normally culminate in participants actually going on a flight
• Therapy – the types of which can vary. For instance, cognitive behavioural therapy, which helps sufferers deal with stress and manage anxiety. Or hypnotherapy to help tackle negative thoughts and images associated with the phobia
• Medication – prescribed by your GP to deal with anxiety and nervousness
• Other methods include neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), relaxation techniques and desensitisation

Overcoming a fear of flying can take time and may cost money but, if successful, can open up a world of travel.

Related information:

Travelling by train – for those who have yet to conquer their fear of flying, have a look at some ideas for exciting trips by train

Beat jet lag – you’ve got through the flight, but how do you deal with all the symptoms of jet lag at the other end?

A case of bad timing – sometimes things happen that mean you have to rearrange a holiday or even cancel it altogether. Direct Line travel insurance has some advice on what policyholders are covered for when this happens.