How to Overcome Fear of Flying: Practical Tools and Courses to Help You Fly with Confidence
Dr Ellen Welch Dr Ellen Welch is a qualified NHS General Practitioner, author and member of the Medical Women's Federation.
Read time: 10 minutes
If the thought of getting on a plane fills you with dread, you’re certainly not alone. Almost one in five Britons say they are fairly or very scared of flying, and this can range from feeling slightly uneasy during take-off to being so frightened that you avoid flying altogether.
Having spent more than a decade working as a doctor on cruise ships, I’ve met plenty of people whose travel plans are shaped by anxiety about flying. As a GP, I also understand why patients might ask for medication to help them get through a flight. But medication isn’t the only option. In this article, I’ll look at practical ways to manage a fear of flying, what treatments can help, and where you can find extra support to make your next journey feel more manageable.
What is fear of flying?
Fear of flying, sometimes called aerophobia, can range from feeling anxious during certain parts of a flight to a phobia severe enough to stop someone flying altogether.
There isn’t always one obvious cause. A previous frightening experience or a sense of losing control may play a part, while common triggers include turbulence, take-off and landing and being at height in an enclosed space. For others, it’s the unfamiliar sensations and noises of flying that can cause anxiety, particularly if they don’t understand what is happening.
How to overcome fear of flying
There’s no single trick that will make a fear of flying disappear, but there are plenty of things you can do to make the journey feel more manageable.
Know what to expect
Learning a little about what happens during a normal flight can take away some of the uncertainty. Find out why the engines sound different at various stages of the journey, what those mysterious cabin “dings” mean and what turbulence actually is.
Make the journey easier
Give yourself plenty of time at the airport and, if take-off and landing are particularly difficult for you, consider a direct flight rather than adding a connection.
Choose your seat according to what bothers you most. If feeling trapped is the problem, an aisle seat may help, while some nervous flyers prefer being able to see out of the window. There isn’t a universally “best” seat, choose whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Go easy on alcohol and caffeine, which can worsen some of the physical sensations associated with anxiety. Eat normally, stay hydrated and try to get a reasonable night’s sleep before you travel.
Have a plan for anxiety
If you’re frightened, tell the cabin crew. They’re used to helping nervous passengers and may be able to explain unfamiliar noises, reassure you during turbulence or simply check in on you.
If anxiety starts to build, slow your breathing and try to bring your attention back to the present. One grounding technique is to notice five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell and one you can taste.
Finally, give yourself something familiar and enjoyable to concentrate on. Download films, podcasts, books or music before you leave ho
What is the best treatment for fear of flying?
This depends on whether you're dealing with normal pre-flight nerves or a genuine phobia.
If you don't particularly enjoy flying but still manage to travel, some preparation and a few coping techniques may be enough. But if you're turning down holidays, avoiding visiting family or spending weeks worrying about an upcoming flight, it's worth tackling the fear itself.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an established treatment for phobias. It helps you recognise the thoughts and behaviours that are feeding the anxiety and learn different ways of responding to them.
Treatment can also involve gradual exposure. Avoiding something we're frightened of makes perfect sense in the short term, but it can reinforce the fear in the longer term. Gradual exposure aims to help you face what you’re frightened of in a controlled way.
In England, you can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies in many areas without seeing your GP first, or find a private therapist who specialise in CBT and phobias.
Specialist fear of flying courses are another option and often combine these psychological techniques with education about flying. They can help you understand everything from turbulence and unfamiliar aircraft noises to what happens when anxiety takes over, and some include a supported flight where you can put what you've learned into practice.
Fear of flying courses in the UK
Several UK airlines offer specialist fear of flying programmes combining aviation education with techniques for managing anxiety.
British Airways Flying With Confidence
British Airways' Flying With Confidence programme has been running for more than 30 years. Its main course combines advice from aviation professionals and psychologists with a supported flight, while an online option is also available
easyJet Fearless Flyer
easyJet's Fearless Flyer programme similarly combines an understanding of flying with techniques for managing anxiety.
Courses have included an online or ground-based element followed by an experience flight.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Without Fear
Virgin Atlantic has also offered a Flying Without Fear programme combining aviation information with psychological support.
Courses, locations and formats change, so check directly with the airlines for current dates, prices and availability.
Can you take medication for fear of flying?
This brings us to the a question GPs are frequently asked: Can I just have a couple of diazepam for the flight?
Diazepam belongs to a group of medicines called benzodiazepines. It reduces anxiety and can make you sleepy, so it's easy to see why taking one before a frightening flight might sound like the obvious solution.
But benzodiazepines aren't routinely recommended for treating phobias, and many GP practices now have policies not to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying.
There isn't a blanket NHS ban on doing so. It's ultimately a prescribing decision for the individual clinician. But there are several good reasons why your GP may say no.
Why won't my GP prescribe diazepam for flying?
It doesn't treat the underlying fear
Diazepam may make you feel less anxious for a few hours, but when you next need to fly, the fear is still there. Treatments such as CBT and gradual exposure aim to change the way you respond to flying, rather than simply reducing the anxiety temporarily.
It can make you sleepy or affect you unpredictably
Drowsiness is one of the common effects of diazepam, and it can also affect concentration, coordination and reaction times. Passengers still need to be able to listen to and follow instructions from cabin crew if necessary and diazepam can impair out ability to do this.
Benzodiazepines can also occasionally cause the opposite effect, including agitation, confusion or disinhibition – not something you particularly want to discover for the first time at 35,000 feet.
Like other sedative medicines, benzodiazepines can also suppress breathing, which may be particularly relevant for people with underlying respiratory problems.
Please be aware that travel insurance will not provide cover for claims arising while you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, where this has contributed to the incident or claim.
Diazepam is a prescription medicine that can cause side effects, including drowsiness, impaired coordination and, in some cases, agitation or unusual behavior. If you are prescribed diazepam for travel, you should take it only as directed by your doctor or pharmacist and check that it is safe for you to travel with it.
Sedation may mean you move around less
On longer journeys, passengers are encouraged to avoid prolonged immobility because this contributes to the risk of travel-related blood clots. If a sedative makes you sleep for several hours, you may spend even longer without moving.
Benzodiazepines can also cause tolerance and dependence, which is another reason they're not a good routine solution for something you may encounter every time you travel.
Travelling with diazepam can be complicated
Diazepam is a controlled drug in the UK and different countries have different rules about bringing controlled medicines across their borders.
If you take a prescribed controlled medicine, check the rules for your destination before travelling and make sure you have any documentation you need.
Ultimately, rather than asking “What can I take to get through this flight?”, it may be more useful to ask “What can I do so I don't feel like this every time I fly?”
That's where treatments such as CBT, gradual exposure and specialist fear of flying courses can help.
Fear of flying FAQs
Yes. Many people feel nervous about flying, although a specific phobia is more severe and may cause significant distress or lead someone to avoid flying altogether.
There isn't a blanket NHS ban, and prescribing decisions are made by the individual clinician responsible for your care. However, benzodiazepines aren't routinely recommended for treating phobias, and diazepam isn't generally a good way of managing fear of flying because it doesn't address the underlying fear.
Never take somebody else's medication or buy diazepam from an unregulated website.
For a significant phobia, CBT and approaches involving gradual exposure have evidence behind them. Specialist fear of flying courses may also help by combining psychological techniques with education about aviation and, in some cases, a supported flight.
They can help, although the impressive success rates sometimes quoted by airlines are generally based on their own participant data rather than independent clinical trials.
Having anxiety doesn't automatically mean you can't get travel insurance. However, if you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, take prescribed medication or have received treatment for anxiety, you may need to declare this depending on the insurer's medical screening questions.
Answer medical screening questions accurately and check the terms of your policy before travelling.
Don't let fear decide where you go
Nobody has to enjoy flying. But if fear is starting to decide where you go, there are treatments and specialist courses that can help.
The aim isn't necessarily to become someone who loves every minute at 35,000 feet. It's to stop fear of getting there from deciding where you're able to go.
Taking steps to manage your fear of flying is one part of feeling ready to travel; having the right travel insurance in place is another. Get a quote from Total Travel Protection today.