Despite the extreme infrequency with which accidents occur relative to the tens of thousands of flights that land each day without incident, flying is an extremely common fear.
Researchers from the University of New England once estimated that 40% of Americans experience some sort of anxiety related to flying while 5% fear flying so much that they cannot do it at all. A misunderstanding of turbulence and the risks it poses (almost none) as well as the inability to stop thinking about "what if" scenarios are often behind the latter.
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Last January, a traveler documented a moment in which a flight attendant who held the hand of a passenger with a severe case of aerophobia while talking her through her fears. The Facebook (META) -) post received over 700,000 likes due to the wholesome nature of the moment. Delta Air Lines (DAL) -) flight attendant Floyd Dean-Shannon also inadvertently went viral as many with flying fears appreciated his act of kindness.
Old post of kind flight attendant goes viral again
"Check out this gem of a flight attendant that was on our flight from CLT to JFK," Molly Lee wrote. "This woman was so nervous about flying, so he explained every sound and bump and even sat here holding her hand when it still got to be too much for her. @delta , Floyd Dean-Shannon deserves a raise!"
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While initially posted 11 months ago, the post once again started finding new life over the weekend of Dec. 2-3 after it started getting reshared on Indian subreddits and was reposted by news platform Upworthy.
"That’s so wonderful!" reads one of the more recent comments on the post from Courtney Walden. "Every time I fly I’m terrified and just close my eyes and every bump, sound, turn, or deceleration I just tell myself 'ok this is how I die.'"
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The relatability of the passenger's fear was another reason that the Facebook post went so viral.
In spring 2023, a commercial pilot named Kyle launched the “Dial A Pilot" program in which those with flying questions can pay $50 to spend 15 minutes chatting with a pilot. Travelers have been turning to it to ask both technical questions such as "what causes turbulence?" and more psychological ones such as "how do I not fear flying?"
The pilots who participate, in turn, often see it as a way to both earn some extra money and remain connected with the travelers they serve in a way that is not always possible while locked away in the cockpit.
"Turbulence is certainly the number one, and it comes down to a lack of understanding of why the turbulence is happening and what's causing it," Kyle said in a TikTok video in response to being asked of the most common fears and questions brought up during the calls.
On its Instagram page, the pilots behind Dial A Pilot also explain common parts of the flying process such as the meaning of depressurization or why one sometimes hears chimes while in the air.
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