Fear Of Flying

[mazo]

We have to take a trip to England soon but my wife is so frightened of flying. She is especially frightend because we are flying at night over water Bangkok via dubai then England. I dont want to give her any sleeping pills because we have a six month old baby to take care of. Anyone have any ideas how can reassure that we will be ok and that a plane traveling thousands of miles in the air at hundreds of miles an hour is safe . Has anyone had experience of traveling with a person with fear of flying any tips to help her stop anxiety greatly appreciated thanks by the way we are flying with emirates on 777 300ER and 200

[Jeffery Stanthorpe]

We have to take a trip to England soon but my wife is so frightened of flying. She is especially frightend because we are flying at night over water Bangkok via dubai then England. I dont want to give her any sleeping pills because we have a six month old baby to take care of. Anyone have any ideas how can reassure that we will be ok and that a plane traveling thousands of miles in the air at hundreds of miles an hour is safe . Has anyone had experience of traveling with a person with fear of flying any tips to help her stop anxiety greatly appreciated thanks by the way we are flying with emirates on 777 300ER and 200

i suffer from the same affliction,

ask your doc for some xanax or diazpam to zone you out a little,

followed by some red wine you can become nice and chilled and almost enjoy the flight !

If that fails, does your wife believe in God, he can also help through prayer and meditation...............

[helicoptor]

Its not the flying that bothers me ...... more the plummeting at high speed into the ocean or crashing into the side of a mountain

[thai_narak]

do your wife drink alcohol? i know this is such a stupid idea but sometimes it helps. don't drink too much tho...

[jumnien]

It's very unusual for people to die as a result of flying in large jets internationally. However, respiratory failure is very common from mixing tranquilizers like valium and xanax and red wine.

[Totster]

I would suggest that if the problem is really serious, book onto a short domestic flight.. when she has done that then the long haul will be no problem.

My wife was white knuckled into her seat the first time she flew from bkk to phuket.. now it's like taking a bus.

totster

[peter991]

My Thai other half had never flown anywhere before, so I convinced him to take a flight from Bangkok to Khon Kaen with me, instead of taking the bus, like he usually does. It's a 55 minute flight.

I explained what would happen (noises caused by wheels retracting etc) and gave him some barley sugar lollies to suck so his ears wouldn't 'pop' on take-off and landing. He enjoyed the experience.

Perhaps the OP could take his wife on an internal flight if she hasn't been on a plane before - as a 'test run.'

Peter

Edit: Sorry Totster - looks like we both had the same idea at the same time.

Edited February 16, 2007 by peter991

[kmart]

Its not the flying that bothers me ...... more the plummeting at high speed into the ocean or crashing into the side of a mountain

My supposedly "irrational" fear of falling was similarly confirmed upon hitting the ground.

[jasreeve17]

We have to take a trip to England soon but my wife is so frightened of flying. She is especially frightend because we are flying at night over water Bangkok via dubai then England. I dont want to give her any sleeping pills because we have a six month old baby to take care of. Anyone have any ideas how can reassure that we will be ok and that a plane traveling thousands of miles in the air at hundreds of miles an hour is safe . Has anyone had experience of traveling with a person with fear of flying any tips to help her stop anxiety greatly appreciated thanks by the way we are flying with emirates on 777 300ER and 200

i suffer from the same affliction,

ask your doc for some xanax or diazpam to zone you out a little,

followed by some red wine you can become nice and chilled and almost enjoy the flight !

If that fails, does your wife believe in God, he can also help through prayer and meditation...............

This is not far off.

Take 5mg (less if she's little - say 2mg) of diazpam (or much less say .25 or .5 mg of xanax) the night before to stop anxiety build up. Take the same a few hours before the flight to stop anxiety build up. Then drink lots of orange and water on the flight to stop dehydration, which might add to anxiety. Don't drink alcohol. She'll be fine. Check with a doctor first.

p.s. I'd drink beers / champers too because I don't mind killing myself, but mdeland is correct and I wouldn't suggest doing so to others - especially people I loved / cared about.

[Furbie]

I have noticed that Thais sometimes have a fear of trying new things, but that they are more apt to do so if other Thais are doing it as well. How you can use this to your advantage I don't know – unless there are other Thais on the flight for you to point out.

The first time I took a Thai GF on a plane she had never flown before. I never even thought of this when I made the booking and she did not say anything. As we approached the airport, I noticed she was clearly getting more and more anxious in the taxi; by the time we reached the gate she was downright terrified. After pointing out the number of Thais on the flight and how calm they were she calmed down a little, and by the time we were airborne and the snacks were going around she was fine. Flights after that were not a problem. I would not want to risk it on a long haul flight.

[Jeffery Stanthorpe]

We have to take a trip to England soon but my wife is so frightened of flying. She is especially frightend because we are flying at night over water Bangkok via dubai then England. I dont want to give her any sleeping pills because we have a six month old baby to take care of. Anyone have any ideas how can reassure that we will be ok and that a plane traveling thousands of miles in the air at hundreds of miles an hour is safe . Has anyone had experience of traveling with a person with fear of flying any tips to help her stop anxiety greatly appreciated thanks by the way we are flying with emirates on 777 300ER and 200

i was just browsing the Airport section of the forum

If she survives getting the airport without it crashing down on top of her ( due to incorrect welds or something )

or then she has to content with the plane taking off without falling into a crater on the sinking runaway... it seems in the air is the safest place to be..

[Old Croc]

You could try taking a paraglider like this lucky woman:

Storm sucks paraglider 'higher than Mt Everest'

A German paraglider is being hailed as "the luckiest woman in the world" after surviving a storm cell that sucked her higher than Mount Everest during a flight in northern NSW.

Ewa Wisnierska, 35, spent 40 minutes unconscious while being carried to a height of approximately 30,000 feet, where she was pounded by hail, narrowly avoided lightning and was covered in ice.

A 40-year-old Chinese paraglider sucked into the same storm cell was found dead on Thursday, a day after going missing.

The pair were among 200 paragliders taking part in training flights on Wednesday, ahead of next week's Paragliding World Championships in Manilla, when the violent storm struck.

Ms Wisnierska said she was unable to avoid the storm when it formed as she flew high above the rugged country.

"I was just praying, please, please put me somewhere away from the cloud," Ms Wisnierska said from her hotel room, where she was resting her bruised and frostbitten body.

As she was carried higher and higher into the atmosphere, to the equivalent of almost 1,000 feet above Everest's peak, Ms Wisnierska noticed ice forming on her sunglasses and instruments, before losing consciousness at about 20,000 feet.

Almost 40 minutes later, she awoke to find herself still stuck in the storm, surrounded by darkness.

"I was shaking and everything, but I thought I just need to fly straight and get out of this cloud," Ms Wisnierska said.

"I thought I need to go down just to warm up."

Despite being dazed and confused from a lack of oxygen, Ms Wisnierska turned her attention to getting back to ground after eventually escaping the storm clouds.

"I thought 'where could I land?'," Ms Wisnierska said.

"I couldn't see any road or anything, but then I saw a small farm, and tried to fly towards it, and landed very safe."

Unable to gather her thoughts to call for help, she waited alone for several minutes before her crew called on the radio, and were able to locate her.

They found her still covered with ice.

"I don't know who to thank, I thanked the angels, but I don't believe in God," Ms Wisnierska said.

Godfrey Wenness, the organiser of next week's championships, says Ms Wisnierska is the luckiest woman alive.

"This is like winning Lotto 10 times in a row, that's how lucky this woman is," Mr Wenness said.

"I would say she is the luckiest woman in the world right now, not exaggerating or being sensational at all.

"The Chinese man died, she survived, there's no logical reason why she got away with it."

Despite frostbite to her ears and legs, Ms Wisnierska says she still hopes to compete in the world championships.

"Flying is too fantastic to stop because of an accident," she said.

Organisers of the World Paragliding Championships have confirmed 42-year-old He Zhongpin, a pilot with the Chinese paragliding team, died after being sucked into a thunderstorm on Wednesday.

While an exact cause of death is yet to be determined, it is believed he died from a combination of extreme hypothermia and hypoxia, or lack of oxygen to the brain.

While all pilots are extremely saddened by Mr He's death, the championships will continue as scheduled, organisers said.

[Ricardo]

Tell her about the Duty-Free shopping in Dubai, this will keep her occupied, thinking about spending money !

Explain to her that it is quicker and more comfortable than train or bus - for a journey of this length.

Mention the 150 channels of entertainment - on the seat-back TV system.

Mention that you too were nervous, the first time you flew, but that you now enjoy it, and this is all a normal reaction. Explain that you yourself are worried by the (much more likely) risk of an accident en-route to the airport. And that 1300 million people took a flight safely last year.

Good Luck !

[spot]

Maybe get her to look at the Emirates website and check out the 777 aircraft specs and in-flight entertainment/service section etc.

The 777 is one of the most advanced aircraft flying today.

I'm pretty nervous when I fly, but I sort of feel comfortable in a 777, especially after a few glasses of wine.

I'm not sure that you actually fly over much water on the way to the UK via Dubai anyway...

[Jamie]

What about hypnosis? I've seen it work on smokers wanting to quit as well as individuals with different phobias.

[Mighty Mouse]

Let's be honest here, your wife is smart. She is using the 'fear of flying' line as a reason not to visit England. Who in their right mind would!!

Seriously, try and book the inside seats, well away from the widows. As soon as the 'plane is in the air, place the headphones over her ears and allow some soothing music to keep her relaxed. If she is typical Thai, she will be asleep within five minutes.

[sutnyod]

Take her to a Moh Duh immediately. He/she might be able to give her some reassurance. However, expect some tips on auspicious days that may lead to you re-booking.

Also, perform a Baci before departure.

Explain her that many imported goods and the bulk of the letters come by plane. Have you ever lost a letter by plane crash?

Good look

[jeebusjones]

I've flown probably one hundred times and it still scares the crap out of me... Recently I brought my Thai girlfriend along. I was gripping the seat everytime we hit a bit of turbulence, but she was absolutely fine. She even seemed to enjoy it.

I've found that xanax is the best solution. Probably 1mg or so would suffice for the mrs, but definitely no alcohol. It also helps to take a seat near the front of the plane, because the effect of turbulence is less pronounced.

You may also want to check out this website, I've found it to be very informative:

http://www.askcaptainlim.com/fpFAQsx.htm

[qwertz]

I've flown probably one hundred times and it still scares the crap out of me... Recently I brought my Thai girlfriend along. I was gripping the seat everytime we hit a bit of turbulence, but she was absolutely fine. She even seemed to enjoy it.

I've found that xanax is the best solution. Probably 1mg or so would suffice for the mrs, but definitely no alcohol. It also helps to take a seat near the front of the plane, because the effect of turbulence is less pronounced.

You may also want to check out this website, I've found it to be very informative:

http://www.askcaptainlim.com/fpFAQsx.htm

Vallium works for me.

[wamberal]

Qantas runs courses in Australia for people who are afraid of flying. The course culminates in an actual flight. I am sure that other airlines would have something similar.

It might be worth contacting Thai Inter and checking whether they have a programme for people who are afraid of flying.

[rtaxron]

My daughter (33) has had a fear of flying for years. She had hypnotisim 3 weeks ago as she was worried it was going to spoil her holiday once again. She flew to the States yesterday and felt very calm.

It cost her £90.00 for two sessions but she said it was well worth it as she was looking forward to her holidays and didnt have the sick feeling or fear of getting on a plane.

[dave111223]

I went on a trip to England with my x g/f (American) and she totally freaked out on the plane.

We were lucky enough to get seats next to the door (the only seats in economy class with decent leg room).

But she totally flipped out and was screaming about "what if the door comes open". We had to move seats.

Really pissed me off.

Edited February 19, 2007 by dave111223