Around 25 to 30 per cent of adults experience some level of flight anxiety, according to Phobia Aero, making it one of the most common phobias in the world. That is despite commercial aviation being statistically the safest form of transport. Flight attendants, pilots and psychologists have been sharing the tricks they use to help nervous passengers get through take-off, turbulence and landing.
Picture the air as jelly
Cierra Mistt, a flight attendant who regularly shares airplane hacks with her 3.3 million TikTok followers, offers an unusual comparison for turbulent flights. She compares the air pressure at ground level and at 30,000ft to the difference between water and jelly.
"Think of this as the air that we live and breathe on the ground," she said, pointing to a glass of water before dropping a toy plane into it, where it splashed straight to the bottom. She then dropped the same toy plane into a glass of jelly, where it held firm.
"The air pressure way up there is a lot more concentrated than it is on the ground level," Mistt said while shaking the cup of jelly. "It would take a lot to swoosh you down, so just picture flying around in jello."
Lift your legs during take-off
Full-time travelling couple Sara and Ryan, who post as @acrosseveryborder, shared a list of tricks for coping with in-flight nerves, many of which they picked up from fellow travellers.
One tip is to lift your legs off the floor while seated during take-off. "By lifting your legs during take off you reduce that shaky sensation," the caption on their video read. "It's like turning on noise-cancelling for your body."
Sara said she was shocked when she tried it for the first time and felt "no more shaking." The tip was one of "many thoughtful responses" the couple received after asking followers for their flying anxiety coping advice.
Understand what's happening
According to BBC Science Focus, understanding the noises and movements a plane makes during flight renders them less frightening. "Know that the pilot will reduce the throttle shortly after take off," the publication advised. "Study your flight plan online so that when the plane banks soon after take off, you know it's to point you towards Budapest, not that something is wrong."
Professor Robert Bor, director of the Centre for Aviation Psychology, said having technical explanations for what is going on can be paramount to avoiding stress.
Breathing and muscle techniques
Professor Bor said behavioural techniques can also help, with breathing being one of the most effective. "If we change our breathing, we better control how much oxygen is available to us, and that brings our heart rate down," he told the BBC. "Take slow breaths in and exhale slowly for five to seven seconds, pumping the last of the air out."
He also recommended clenching your buttocks. "Squeeze your buttocks really tightly for five seconds, then relax for five seconds," he said. "You're hijacking the body's central nervous system, which is telling your whole body to tense up. By making the involuntary, voluntary, the body stops emitting these messages."
A third technique involves the fingers. "Take your long middle finger, the rude one, and tap it as fast as you can while keeping the other fingers still," Professor Bor advised, adding that the concentration required can distract from fear.
Choose your seat wisely
Sarah Goodwin, a Virgin Australia employee from Perth, said seat choice can affect how much turbulence a passenger feels. "When booking your seat, try and book a seat as close to the front of the aircraft as you can, because that is where you experience the least amount of turbulence," she said in a TikTok video.
The impact of turbulence is felt less at the front of the plane because it sits beyond the aircraft's centre of gravity. Turbulence is also less noticeable near the wings, which help keep the plane balanced.
Talk to the cabin crew
Goodwin's second tip is to speak to flight attendants if you feel nervous. "At the end of the day, we deal with people all the time so we are good at talking to them about things like this," she said. "Don't ever feel like it's something that we find annoying because I absolutely love to calm people's nerves when they're scared."
Check turbulence forecasts
Stacey Leasca, a travel writer for Travel + Leisure who flies regularly for work despite being scared of flying herself, said she has tried most methods to combat the fear but only one has worked: learning to read turbulence forecasts before every flight.
"I use sites like Turbli, which combines data from official weather and aviation agencies to predict the turbulence, wind, and thunderstorm activity along your flight route," she wrote. Turbli, a turbulence forecast tool established in 2020, says on its website that "fearful flyers are frequent users," adding: "For some of them, Turbli is a lifesaver that helps them calm down by setting the right expectations; for others, it creates an additional anxiety that makes things worse."
Bryan Bruno, medical director at Mid City TMS, a medical centre in New York City, told Travel + Leisure that using tools like Turbli engages the brain's prefrontal cortex rather than letting the amygdala dominate with fear responses. "Knowledge transforms unpredictable threats into manageable variables," he said, adding that the brain cannot be rational and in panic mode at the same time.
Products that can help
Sleep is one way to pass a flight more quickly. The MyHalos Blackout Unisex Sleep Mask, reduced from £12.99 to £9.99, is made from memory foam with a flexible nose design intended to block out light.
The MUSICOZY Sleep Mask, down from £14.99 to £12.74, has built-in headphones for listening to a podcast or audiobook while drifting off.
Noise-cancelling ear plugs such as the Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Ear Plugs, priced at £54.95, are another option for staying calm in the air.
The CAMBIVO 3 Pairs Compression Socks for Women and Men, at £11.89, work under trousers, skirts and dresses and help manage swelling in flight.
Travellers are also advised to avoid coffee or alcohol if feeling nervous and instead stay hydrated, using something like the £40 Chilly's Flip Bottle.
