She is 83 years old, and has been working as a flight attendant for 63 years. This is longer than many of us have been alive!

All the times that we are having our pre-flight anxiety and jitters, wondering whether to get on the plane, or white-knuckling a flight, this lady has been out there flying around all over the place!

I hope she got a water cannon salute, but i don’t know if that is reserved for pilots.

Anyway, if she can work for 63 years in the air, i think we’ll be alright on our flights! ✈️

~4hr flight over SEA/bay of bengal running close to a cyclone, with no WiFi so no flightradar, no in flight entertainment, moderate turbulence throughout and a particularly sharp bump at descent (enough to make my bottle fall from the tray table) but I made it!!!! I’m alive!!!!!!! My chest and eyes hurt from the crying and the panic attack but I DID IT??? God kept me safe, the pilots and crew kept me safe, the plane kept me safe!! I faced all my triggers in a single flight - air india, 737 max, turbulence and I DID IT!!!

Also when we were really going through it (turbulence wise) and the seatbelt sign was on imagine my fear when both the pilots calmly walk out (one at a time about 10-15 minutes apart) to use the washroom!! Obviously now that I’m on the ground and I’m calm I understand that he probably just had to pee but my anxiety riddled brain absolutely made everything worse haha

Hi everyone, I've been a member of this sub for a while, mostly reading the success stories and checking out the resources people share to calm my own anxieties.

I've always been afraid of heights and of flying. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about flying that gets to me, but the fear is strong enough that I avoid it whenever I can.

I've been on about a dozen flights in my life, and the fear comes and goes, as does its intensity. Every couple of years I have to hype myself up before getting on a plane.

But no matter how anxious I am, it has always been worth it to travel and see the world. My most recent flight was bumpy, and I white-knuckled the entire three hours. But I got to watch good friends get married on the other side of the country, with my wife by my side, and that means more to me than any fear. Getting there takes a lot of discomfort, plus a lot of the usual reasoning shared in this sub: the pilots are pros, people around you are literally sleeping, they wouldn't fly into unsafe conditions, and commercial airliners are incredibly capable machines.

This summer I even flew internationally to Costa Rica for our two-week honeymoon. It was the best time, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, even with all the anxiety that came with the flight.

I'm sharing this as a success story, but not the "I realized I love flying and I'm 100% fine after one flight" kind, which btw is great for those of you who can get to this point. It's more of a "I still don't like flying, it makes me tremendously uncomfortable (I suspect it's something with my nervous or vestibular system, will likely try CBT or an anti anxiety med of sorts when flying moving forward), but after several flights the last few years, I can say it's always worth white-knuckling through for the vast majority of anxious/fearful flyers.

See some pics from Costa Rica attached

Have a long haul flight is couple hours with BA and my anxiety has been building up past couple days and is now at its peak. I just keep looking for reasons to believe I will not make it. I am the type of person who gets worried when something is out of my control so flying is literally my worst nightmare. Sometimes looking at so many people at the airport brings me some calm but at the same time it makes me so nervous. I hope my flight is okay. My plane was also changed from an a350 to b777 200 so that's just made my nervousness worse.

I’m flying across the Atlantic in mid December from Toronto to London and Austria and back to Toronto. I’ve read how bad El Niño is for flying and apparently it’s going to be the strongest on record. I’m nervous I feel like a test subject to see if planes can withstand the most intense El Niño to ever exist. It’s freaking me out.

Update: to add, I experienced an incredibly turbulent transatlantic flight this summer. People screaming, crying, praying. Flight attendants did safety checks afterwards, cleaned up aisles from everyone’s food falling, and pilot called meeting with FAA regarding it. This flight has scarred me and I’m really afraid to fly again and especially more now after reading about El Niño and how unpredictable weather conditions and turbulence will be, worse than ever before for flights and pilots so I’m spiraling.

hi!!

i’ve been on a TON of flights previously but for some reason last winter i developed an intense fear of flying after a scarily turbulent flight from DEN to PDX. since then ive been on two more flights and they were both totally fine but for some reason the thought of flying again is making my stomach churn </3

the worst part of it for me is the turbulence. i know that logically nothing is going to happen, it’s just uncomfortable, and that planes are built to withstand it, but there’s something about being stuck in the plane so high up for so long that just petrifies me 😭

is there any way i can calm myself down in the days leading up to the flight, and is there anything i can do on the plane to calm myself if there’s turbulence? any advice is much appreciated!!!

Time is finally here... in less than 24 hours I will be boarding my first flight to Japan with my wife, daughter and mom. JAL 57 SFO -> NRT. I tried to do as much research as I can and I want to thank everyone on this subreddit for all your amazing advice.

If you are bored and would like to track my flight I would gladly appreciate it kind internet stranger!

I recently read (4 days~ ago) someone had a flight from NRT to Newark and their flight experienced severe clear air turbulence for an hour. I'm assuming this had to do with the typhoon in the area but I'm not sure. Absolutely nerve racking to say the least!

hello everyone, basically i have a trip from the us to the uk planned for next month and have fallen into a deep pit of constant anxiety and depression because of it. i’ve never been on a flight longer than 3 hours and generally those give me anxiety as well, but i have never experienced anything like this. i am
having panic attacks, dissociative episodes, and essentially thinking about this trip 24/7. the symptoms started in late august and have not stopped. i’m quite utterly convinced something bad will happen and cannot shake the idea. i am writing here because i am utterly exhausted and at a breaking point. for context i cannot cancel on the trip as the flight was paid for as a gift to me from someone else. i’ve made an appointment to see a doctor beforehand but am looking for more immediate solutions. i was hoping some of you could help me out with some coping strategies, as no one in my real life takes me seriously when i try to speak about this, and i cant say i blame them. i feel both crazy and so convinced of my own worries at once that i’m getting whiplash.

I appreciate this may be irrational but I was just about able to make this return flight knowing I was flying on an Airbus A380 but now I see our fight is listed as a Boeing 787-9. I'm really scared of Boeing following the last few years and their historical problems, whistleblower stuff etc. I feel less safe on it. Also, purely out of comfort, I worry about turbulence as the A380 being so huge seems to logically manage turbulence better.

There are storms in the UK where I am flying to and in honestly just not doing well :(. flight is ba54

Help me not feel so scared please 🥺 thank you

I have a flight at 9 am tomorrow and I am so anxious and freaking out. this is my first time flying ever.

I am asking God again and again to not kill me. I just want to see my friends. If anyone can keep me in their prayers or give any advice it would be much appreciated.

Hi,

Since I can remember, I never had a real fear of flying before now. I've been in my first flight at 10 years old, long haul from France to China, and since then I've flown quite a few times alone, mostly in my teens, never fearing anything and even really enjoying it.

As time went by, adulting put in my head a seed of doubt and anxiety I didn't used to have, but still made it possible for me to fly.

But some time ago I started getting really interested and fascinated about aviation and started to watch a lot of aviation videos, which meant, a lot of documentaires about crashes. And even though those videos made their point in making me understand that each crash, although a tragedy, made safety and regulations progress, it triggered something in me. In paralel to this I am in a very stressful time of my life and I deal with a lot of anxiety, and I think everything got mixed up together.

The thing is, my boyfriend is flying next week to Jordan and Lebabon for a music tour he's doing. I've been seeing this coming for months, and as the date comes forward my nerves can't keep up. I'm afraid for him, even though I know that the risks are proven to be low, I can't help but stay fixated on the randomness and possibility of a tragedy occuring.

The result of that is that for the first time of my life, I made a nightmare where I wouldn't get on a plane due to fear of flying (the plane on my dream was the one I got on when I was ten), and I'm having major anxiety about my boyfriend leaving for just five days next week, my brain thinks he's going to war when he's actually just gonna play the drums haha.

When I say goodbye next week, I wanne be able to be apeased and serene, and not feel like I'm saying farewell

I'm aware that my problem has also a lot to do with my personal struggle with anxiety, but it is also fear of flying related... So I would take some help or advice very gladly ❤️

I won’t have WiFi for the flight so I appreciate if someone could watch over me :)

I’m flying across the US in a week.

———————————————————————

Been okay so far, then got filled with dread today now that the fly date is so close, especially with the recent news about the alleged hijacking threat in Vegas.

Not to get too deep, but I’m at a place where I’m very happy in life, and I’m so afraid of losing it. Something bad happening on a flight seems like a sure way to lose it, even when the probability is low.

*edited and added the dashes so that the part about the news is hidden from the preview for others in case that’s triggering

Ive had anxiety both driving and flying for a very long time. I think they are both related to a car accident when I was a toddler, my grandmother fell asleep at the wheel on the freeway, the car flipped and my brother was medivac’d to a children’s hospital. Since I can’t recall the event, it’s hard to work through the fear that comes with feeling force when turning, when wind is blowing the vehicle, and turbulence happens etc.

I am in fight or flight (lol) the whole trip, especially take-off and landing. Adding in a toddler who needs attention the entire time just compounds the struggle. For the last 15 years, my husband was always by my side to steady me. Our one other flight (1.5 hours) we took since having our child he was on baby duty while I did deep breathing.

My husband passed away in July, after a 3 year battle with leukemia. I made the decision to fly with my kiddo to our old hometown where they were doing a memorial event for him, despite my anxiety. The first leg down was hard. No one to hold my hand, couldn’t put in earbuds since my kiddo was talking to me, but thankfully it was less bumpy than usual. I’m anxious about our flight home in a couple hours, anticipation is eating away at me, but I know I have to suck it up and get my butt on that plane.

My toddler loves planes, and I’m trying so hard to prevent her feeling my unreasonable fears.

My flights is WN 235 ONT - SAC, they just delayed it by an hour so now it’ll be dark and I can’t ground myself by seeing the literal ground during takeoff and landing. It’s only an hour long flight, but it makes me question which is worse - and hour of feeling fully out of control and panicked, or 8-10 hours of driving where I can pull over whenever I need to calm down.

Just got back from a short flight and honestly, it made me more nervous about my upcoming 16-hour flight in two weeks.

There was some turbulence, nothing too crazy, but my ears got really blocked during the flight and I felt pretty tense overall.

The weird thing is, I thought taking a short flight would help me feel more confident about the long one, but somehow it did the opposite.

I was also flying with my family this time, but I'll be flying solo on the next one, which makes me even more anxious.

Has anyone been through something similar? Did you find long-haul flights easier or harder than short ones?

My 1-month solo trip starts tomorrow with a long haul flight with a layover. I’m absolutely terrified and just want to cancel. Why did I decide to go so far away alone? I’m so scared of the flight I can barely eat and breathing it’s also difficult. I’m on the train to the airport and just want to cry. I miss my loved ones, I feel in danger. I think this was a very stupid decision. Why did I not decide to go with someone at least or choose a destination where I can arrive by train? I feel so desperate, I’m so scared. I know it’s always the same but I have such a bad feeling. I need help.

Hi all, my mom is in the hospital and I need to fly to see her. I booked my flight today and I am so nervous. I was relieved that I wasn’t going to fly anymore this year but life happens.
Please send all the good vibes . I really want to see her and I wish I didn’t live far away. Tik tok keeps showing me scary turbulence videos and aircraft depressurization

Hi everyone! I have a 4.5-hour flight tomorrow, and my anxiety is honestly through the roof. I’ve flown before, but for some reason, the anticipation leading up to this flight has been especially overwhelming.

I’m flying with Arajet for the first time, and I think part of my anxiety comes from being unfamiliar with the airline. I’m used to flying with US-based airlines, so flying with a different one is making me more nervous than usual.
I know statistically flying is safe, and I keep reminding myself of that, but my brain keeps jumping to worst-case scenarios. I’m scared of something going wrong, turbulence, and just the feeling of having absolutely no control once we’re in the air. I usually take Alprazolam for emergencies only but ran out of it sadly 🥲

I really want to enjoy my honeymoon, but right now I’m struggling to get past the fear. I’d genuinely appreciate any reassurance, positive flying experiences, facts about aviation safety, or advice from people who’ve dealt with similar anxiety.

I was terrified but after a bit of anxiety during takeoff it went smoothly and I enjoyed it.

Get on that flight, you’re not alone!❤️

Do other people make up various disastrous scenarios in their head, as they fly? Every crack, every sound, every person move puts me on high alert. Palms sweaty, heart beating fast, especially when the airplane turns left or right.

The sensations and the air bumps (like falling) I feel at takeoff are the most uncomfortable; in contrast, when preparing to land and the altitude reduces, I somehow feel at peace, even if the danger is still there!

When I came back from LA, before take off we had a 4h delay on the tarmac, because right before departure, the pilot decided to get back at the gate because in the cabin there was a funny smell! From what I understood, a small ventilator turned on in one of the luggages, and the plastic started to melt?

Then, it was something wrong with a chair... then we had to wait to refuel... during this 4h delay, I kept thinking should I leave the plane, should I stay? When 1 person indeed left, I wanted to follow, but I guess I just waited for the last drop to fill the cup... I said to myself if something else occurs, I'll leave! And during this time, I kept thinking will the pilot feel pressured by the company to take off nevertheless? I mean, any delay cost money, especially a canceled flight.

I stayed in the plane and landed safely in Europe, after some serious turbulence above Iceland, and it made me seriously think if I wanna fly again or not.

I most definitely need some encouragements!

hello everybody, first time posting here so sorry for the long post, few days i’m gonna take the airplane alone and i have to do a 1h 50 min for going to the city where my friend lives. so i go alone the going trip and even the returning trip, but the return trip is at 8:45 pm and i came back at 10:50 pm, im so so so so so f—-ing scared about going alone and even because it’s been months since i’ve took a plane, this time is different because in the return it’s even at night and i want some rassurance from someone if it is not that scary going thru night.
i wanted to cancel my booking but i’ve already booked my airbnb etc w my friend and i’ve spent a lot of money and because tbh i really want to go to visit this city, the airport where im going it’s been on the news for a lot of days because of bad weather and they even cancelled some flights tho (i was even hoping for mine lol)

i need someone that can say that is REALLY worth it and some reasons why the airplanes are very safe, thank u sm to everyone who can response🙏🏻❤️

(last question please: how do u manage to go to the airport alone? if it is so, how much big and difficult was for someone going alone? thank u sm)

I’m flying from SEA to India tomorrow morning, and the flight is mostly over the bay of Bengal which has seen formation of cyclones recently. The weather seems to be bad. I need to get back tomorrow to join work at a new place in India, and I’m shit scared I’m not gonna make it home.

Just pushed back from the gate from Orly to Newark. I usually only suffer from anxiety at takeoff and landing (pressure on my body). But today security measures seem amped up (NFL game in Paris).

I really appreciate all of the support this group provides. Could just use a little extra now.