Aerophobia
[/’flʌɪɪŋ/] n.Fear of flying
The fear of flying. It can cause panic, sweating and sickness, not to mention make going on holiday a very scary experience.
Grounded people across the globe
Foreign holidays are off the agenda for people across the world, as 14,800 people suffer from a fear of flying. That’s a 33% decline compared to the year before, but as most planes were grounded during COVID, that’s to be expected.
In the USA, there are 3,600 people stuck on the ground, restricted to holidays within their own country. The UK fares much better – only 880 people there suffer from aerophobia, limiting their vacations to anywhere they can get to via car, train, or boat…
In Canada, there are only 380 people put off by planes, while Australians are practically pilots, as only 20 people searched for aerophobia in 2021.
Flying is completely safe…
but your seat selection determines
your
chances of surviving a crash.
Passports, planes and panic attacks
The causes of aerophobia still aren’t really that well understood, which makes it all the more worrying. Experts aren’t sure whether it’s a phobia all of its own, or whether it’s a combination of claustrophobia, vertigo and acrophobia all working together
It can also be caused by a general anxiety disorder, and made worse by the stress of checking in, expense, take off procedures and turbulence.
Obviously, we’re a little bit biased – planes get our customers to most of their holiday destinations, and they hardly ever just fall out of the sky without any explanation.
Finding your wings
Fear of flying is one of the few phobias that can be treated with medication. Many people who suffer from aerophobia will turn to anti-anxiety medication before boarding a plane.
- Dramamine is a regularly prescribed flight anxiety medication
- Exposure therapy will help the long-term issue
- Virtual reality can help you experience flying without leaving the ground