Fear of Flying: How To Manage Flight Anxiety Before And During Travel
Flying can allow people to visit family, do their job, or enjoy a vacation. However, for some individuals, air travel can trigger anxiety, which can range from mild unease to the full-blown panic that may indicate an anxiety disorder. Individuals living with a flying phobia, also called aviophobia, may experience symptoms of anxiety while flying. In some cases, they may even make significant changes to travel plans to avoid flying altogether.
Both aviophobia and nonclinical flight anxiety can often be managed using various mental health strategies and mindfulness techniques. For example, a person who is afraid of air travel may benefit from connecting with a mental health professional to develop strategies to manage anxiety before taking off. Here, we’ll examine the causes and impacts of aviophobia and flight anxiety and discuss strategies for reducing anxiety and fear before, during, and after a flight.
Understanding fear of flying
Fear of flying can make it challenging for a person to travel by airplane. While some people experience mild discomfort when flying, others may feel intense panic that prevents them from getting on a plane altogether. In some cases, a particular part of flying, such as taking off or landing, may trigger the most anxiety.
Understanding the underlying causes of flight anxiety may be the first step in managing symptoms and effects. Some of the potential causes or sources of a fear of flying may include:
- Fear of turbulence. People may worry that turbulence means the plane is in danger, even though it is a normal and safe part of flying.
- Fear of loss of control. Passengers have no direct control over the aircraft, which can be unsettling for those who struggle with anxiety in this type of situation.
- Claustrophobia. The confined space of an airplane cabin can make some people feel trapped or panicked.
- Past negative experiences. A bad flight experience, such as extreme turbulence or an emergency landing, can create lasting fear.
- Media influence. Sensationalized news stories and movies about plane crashes can reinforce irrational fears.
- Generalized anxiety or phobias. People who experience other forms of anxiety, such as another phobia (like fear of heights), generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder may be more prone to flight-related anxiety.
It may be beneficial for individuals with a fear of flying to identify the underlying cause of their fear, which can be helpful in developing strategies to reduce anxiety. Despite the fear that many people feel about flying, air travel is one of the safest modes of transportation. Statistics suggest that the chances of being in a plane crash are extremely low—far lower than accidents involving cars or trains.
Potential mental and physical impacts of flight anxiety
In many cases, a severe fear of flying jeopardizes more than a person’s travel schedule; it may also affect their physical and mental health. These impacts may occur while flying or during the process leading up to getting on an airplane. Some of the potential effects of flight anxiety on mental and physical health include the following.
Common mental health symptoms of flight anxiety
The main mental health symptoms of flight anxiety are usually anxiety and stress. Although negative thoughts may primarily occur during the flight itself, some individuals may also feel added stress throughout the travel-planning process. Symptoms of flight anxiety that often impact mental health include the following:
- Racing thoughts and imagining worst-case scenarios
- Difficulty concentrating or feeling overwhelmed
- Increased irritability or agitation
- A strong urge to avoid flying altogether
If a person’s flight anxiety significantly impacts their life and causes symptoms that feel impossible to manage, it could be a sign of a specific phobia. This type of diagnosable anxiety disorder is considered treatable with professional mental health support.
Common physical health symptoms of flight anxiety
In addition to mental health impacts, a person living with a fear of flying may also experience physical symptoms of flight anxiety. These typically occur as a result of the body’s fight-or-flight survival response and may include:
- Rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath
- Sweating or feeling overheated
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Muscle tension or shaking
- Upset stomach
Possible social impacts of flight anxiety
People may travel for many reasons, including business, to see friends or family, or to attend important events. That means individuals with severe flight anxiety may miss out on significant social or family events such as weddings, reunions, births, funerals, or vacations as a result of their symptoms. Not being able to be there for such an important time may add a strain to social relationships.
To avoid missing important time with friends and family, a person with a fear of flying may need to book alternative forms of transportation, which may take longer, cost more, and create additional stress. Those who have to fly for work may also experience negative career impacts if their fear of flying prohibits them from traveling via air.
Strategies to reduce or overcome your fear before takeoff
While flight anxiety can be highly impactful, it also is a condition that can typically be treated. Different strategies may work for different people, so a personalized approach is typically recommended.
If you believe you may be experiencing a clinical anxiety disorder, meeting with a therapist for diagnosis and treatment is generally recommended. Therapy can also be helpful for those who do not have a diagnosable disorder but are looking for emotional support addressing their fears.
In addition to professional treatment, some strategies for reducing flight anxiety that a person can take before takeoff include mindfulness techniques and lifestyle changes.
Mindfulness techniques to help you overcome your fear of flying
Mindfulness techniques include strategies that help focus and calm the mind by encouraging the person to notice and reframe emotions like anxiety. Implementing mindfulness techniques in the days and hours before one’s flight takes off may help reduce anxiety during the trip. Examples of these strategies include:
- Deep breathing exercises. Techniques like box breathing, where a person does a few rounds of breathing in for four seconds, holding their breath for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, and holding again for four seconds, may help reduce anxiety and calm the nervous system.
- Positive affirmations. Replacing fearful thoughts with reassuring statements may help ease anxiety. Repeating affirmations such as “Pilots are highly trained and I am safe” might help calm the mind before takeoff.
- Grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can help take the mind off of fear and ground a person in the present. One common grounding technique is the 5–4–3–2–1 method, where a person names five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste.
- Meditation. During periods of pre-flight anxiety, it may be helpful for a person to practice meditation, which involves focusing on the present rather than what may happen in the future.
Lifestyle strategies that may help reduce anxiety
In addition to mindfulness techniques, a person may also engage in lifestyle changes before a flight to help reduce anxiety. One example is ensuring that one gets enough sleep in the days before a flight, as lack of sleep may increase overall anxiety. It also may be beneficial to eat a nourishing, nutrient-dense meal and engage in light exercise before taking off. Exercise may help the mind shift focus away from anxiety and can lower levels of stress hormones while increasing levels of hormones that make a person feel good.
Managing fear of a plane crash or anxiety during a flight
Although it may be helpful to implement pre-flight strategies to reduce anxiety, it is still possible for a person to feel anxious during a flight. Managing fear of flying on a deeper level may involve addressing the underlying thoughts or beliefs around the possibility of a plane crash or other frightening event. Techniques such as relaxation strategies and cognitive reframing—which are typically most effective when taught or guided by a therapist—may help a person address these.
Reducing fear of a plane crash and other intrusive thoughts
If fear arises during a flight, reframing negative thoughts may help reduce anxiety in the moment. Reframing a negative thought may involve identifying the cause—in this case, the belief that a plane is going to crash—and challenging it with logic. This could include saying things like, “There is no evidence to support this fear. Planes are designed to withstand turbulence and have multiple safety systems.” After challenging the statement, a person might replace it with a more rational one, such as, “Flying is statistically safe, and thousands of flights take off and land safely every day.”
Implementing relaxation techniques
In addition to identifying and reframing negative thoughts, it may also be helpful to implement additional relaxation strategies throughout the flight. These could include meditation, deep breathing, or grounding techniques. You might also try less technical strategies like listening to your favorite music or reading an engrossing book.
Long-term strategies to help you overcome the fear of flying
Over the long term, effectively addressing a fear of flying often involves a multifaceted approach. The basis of treatment is usually therapeutic techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure and response prevention therapy.
With cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a trained, licensed therapist will work with a client to identify and reframe negative thought patterns. They’ll also help them develop research-based coping strategies to manage anxiety before and during flights.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is another therapeutic technique that research suggests can be effective in managing a variety of phobias. In ERP therapy, a person is gradually and safely exposed to a negative stimulus and coached through noticing and managing anxiety and emotions in the moment. For a person with a fear of flying, this could include starting by visualizing a flight or taking a trip to the airport and progressing to taking short flights. Using this method, a person may learn to manage their response to feelings of anxiety and become more comfortable with flying.
Connecting with a mental health professional
People living with aviophobia or nonclinical flight-related anxiety may benefit from connecting with a mental health professional. A therapist can evaluate a person’s fear of flying and consider their mental health needs holistically before developing a treatment plan.
For those with a busy schedule or a lack of providers nearby, it can be a challenge to attend weekly in-person therapy sessions. As an alternative, online therapy sessions can occur from anywhere a person has a personal device and an internet connection—no commuting required. This means that individuals can get the help they may need from a location where they feel comfortable. Plus, online therapy can often be more cost-effective than in-person therapy without insurance.
Research suggests that online CBT and ERP techniques may be effective in helping a person reduce anxiety and fear related to a phobia. In an online environment, a therapist can walk a client through scenarios and provide effective coping strategies to reduce anxiety.
Takeaway
How do I get over my fear of flying?
Extreme anxiety about flying is often a sign of a flight phobia. Phobias like these are often best treated with therapy and medication with a doctor and a therapist. The most effective therapeutic modality for most people with specific phobias is exposure and response prevention (ERP). This therapy modality can help you prepare for a flight and reduce your severe fear of flying by helping you restructure how you respond to your worries and thoughts about flying. With therapy, some people can find relief within six months instead of spending thirty years or a lifetime without ever taking a trip by plane.
What medication is used for flying anxiety?
A doctor sometimes prescribes anti-anxiety medications to support those with overwhelming anxiety and physical symptoms for a short flight. A doctor may prescribe a short prescription solely for this flight. Before starting, changing, or stopping a medication, discuss any risk of side effects with your doctor and consult them on the medication’s use. Some medications may have the potential to be addictive, so ask your doctor about this risk.
The BetterHelp platform is not intended to provide any information regarding which medication or medical treatment may be appropriate for you. The content provides generalized information that is not specific to one individual. Do not take any action without consulting a qualified medical professional.
Why am I suddenly scared of flying?
A fear of flying can arise for several reasons, even if you’ve taken many flights in the past without challenges. For example, bad weather, traumatic events within small spaces, or extreme turbulence may also cause fear of future flights. Flying jeopardizes mental health for some people when it involves unexpected events. You might also develop a phobia for no reason or because phobias run in your family. Consider speaking with a therapist to get a sense of the cause of your fear.
What is the best program for the fear of flying?
Recently, virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy has proven to be an effective option for a fear of flying. In this exposure, a client is hooked to a VR headset, showing them a virtual plane flight. If they’re in a VR room, they may also be sitting in a seat structured to look like a plane seat and may hear or feel sensations that would be present on an actual flight. Throughout the process, they and their therapist can track their fear levels. After multiple sessions, the flight simulation may become more triggering or scary for the individual, bringing them to higher levels of anxiety. The thought behind this technique is that their baseline anxiety will lower as they expose themselves to more feared stimuli. Since the virtual reality environment is not real, clients can practice regulating their emotions safely.
How do you deal with nervous flyers?
If you’re an airline employee, you may have been trained to support nervous flyers in your program. However, you can also offer support by being compassionate, understanding, and empathetic when working with these individuals. Offer them a drink or snack to help and remind them of plane safety statistics. You might also ask if there’s any way you can help them that they know works for them.
Is a fear of flying a mental illness?
If your fear of flying gets to the point where you avoid flying altogether, have panic attacks while flying, or experience severe anxiety that disrupts your life, you might be living with a phobia. Phobias are mental illnesses listed in the diagnostic manuals used to treat hundreds of conditions. These conditions can often be treated with therapy and medication.
What is the scariest part of flying?
For many people, the scariest part of flying is takeoff and landing. For others, the scary part is being high in the air for an extended period without control over what happens. For those with a fear of heights, the plane's height may be the biggest fear, which can cause worries about falling or crashing.
How do you stop panic attacks while flying?
You may consider talking to a doctor before you fly to ask about anxiety medication if you think you may have a panic attack on the plane. They may be able to offer you a temporary prescription medicine to calm you or help you sleep on the flight. If you don’t have medication or don’t want to take medication, consider packing a small bag of anti-anxiety items, such as fidget toys, a shirt with the comforting scent of someone you love, and other items that calm you down. A small bag like this doesn’t count as a carryon, as it is used for medical purposes. For this reason, you can claim the bag as a medical bag and bring it in addition to your carry-on item.
Why shouldn't you be afraid to fly?
Although you may see scary stories in the news about plane crashes, planes are considered safer than driving your car to the airport for a flight. Although there have been more plane crashes in 2025 than in previous years, air safety is still a priority to the American government and other countries worldwide. Planes are checked frequently for mechanical issues and are equipped with two engines, so if one fails, the other can bring the plane to land safely. Mechanical failures on planes are very rare, with only 21% of plane crashes occurring for this reason. Many plane emergencies are not fatal, and the pilot can land the aircraft. However, if you’re still afraid, consider speaking to your flight attendant about air safety. They’ve taken many flights and may be able to assure you that you are safe.
What is the root cause of the fear of flying?
Often, people are afraid of flying because they have witnessed or experienced a traumatic or scary event involving flights, planes, heights, or small spaces. In some cases, a family history of phobias or a family member who has a phobia can cause a phobia in someone else. Some people develop phobias for no discernable reason. In any case, phobias are considered highly treatable with a combination of medication and therapy. Talk to your doctor about options in your area or online.
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