If you’re a longtime subscriber to my free newsletter, then you may already know that I used to not only be afraid to fly but at one point, to even leave the house. It’s a long story that I wrote about in detail here.
The American Airlines regional jet operated by PSA Airlines crash on Wednesday night was devastating and my heart goes out to everyone impacted, especially friends, family and loved ones of the victims. I just watched a local news segment on KTLA about all those who perished and I was bawling; it was heartbreaking. My heart shattered when the father of the PSA pilot who died said that he’s “so heartbroken he can’t even cry himself to sleep.” I can’t imagine what these families are going through.
From monitoring social media, it seems that practically every traveler, including pilots and flight attendants, is affected by this tragedy. After all, it’s the first time a fatal commercial plane crash has happened in the U.S. in almost 16 years.
I’ve also heard so many stories on the news and from people on social media about being afraid to fly following this incident and given the fears I used to have, I can relate. But it’s important to remember that statistically, flying is extremely safe and airplane crashes are very rare.
The statistics around air travel safety are quite reassuring and here are some key facts to consider:
-In the United States, there are typically about 45,000 commercial flights taking off each day.
-Approximately 100,000 commercial flights take off each day around the world and that translates to roughly 36 million flights per year.
-The odds of a person being involved in a plane crash are about 1 in 11 million and if you are in a plane crash, the odds of dying are 1 in 205,552. For comparison, the odds of dying in a car crash are 1 in 114. This is according to the National Safety Council.
However, despite these statistics, flying still can be worrisome for some travelers. If you have a fear of flying, you may find this helpful: CBS News interviewed Brian Morris, owner and co-creator of Flight Deck Fear of Flying Flashcards, who had this advice:
- “Verbalizing it and talking about it with one other person and admitting that you might be uncomfortable is the first step you have to take to reducing anxiety.”
- “People who really do have a fear of flying should focus on the positive opportunities of air travel, getting to places you wouldn’t normally be able to get in a short period of time and the things you’re going to see and do when you get there and I think of you can focus on that rather than focusing on what might be an unrealistic danger I think you’re going to have a better time.”
I also wrote in detail about how I overcame my own personal fear of flying, which can be found towards the bottom of this article.
And whether you’re afraid to fly or not, remember to be conscious of what you say to others – especially flight attendants and pilots. One flight attendant posted this yesterday: “Sad that this is my first post on here but just had a passenger getting off my aircraft in Vegas say to me, “Glad we didn’t get hit by any Blackhawks today”. Not sure why they felt the need to say something at all but it was a completely insensitive comment that left me in shock. Please be kind to your flight crew, pilots and flight attendants, and just say “you are thinking of us” or “praying for us”. Now is not the time for jokes or comments.”
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Even before this crash, I would still get nervous to fly but especially when I traveled without my family. Now that I have little children, I find it so stressful to go on a business trip and the most difficult part is flying away from them. But I have to remind myself that what I am doing is best for everyone and that everything will be fine. It almost always is but disturbing incidents like what happened in Washington D.C. don’t help with the anxiety, which is why you have to keep reminding yourself of the statistics.
KEEP READING
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–How to get a full bottle of water through airport security
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