How to Get Over Your Fear of Flying

If you live with aerophobia—aka the fear of flying—you are far from alone. According to 2024 data, some 25 million Americans fear flying to some degree, which can interfere with travel plans and even lead some to stay home rather than head off on adventures of a lifetime. 

“Fear of flying can be a deeply uncomfortable condition to live with. It’s not just the physical discomfort during a flight that can occupy a great deal of your energy, but also the feelings of shame and embarrassment about this fear that can make life harder,” Jenny Maenpaa, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of the New York City Psychotherapy Collective, told Travel + Leisure. “There are various ways to work on this, and it's important to recognize that each person’s fear is unique, whether it's rooted in past trauma, a generalized anxiety disorder, or simply unfamiliarity with the mechanics of flight.” 

Indeed, there are ways to combat this fear to ensure you see as much of the world as possible. Here are a few things to try to overcome your fear of flying from the experts so you can comfortably soar at 35,000 feet. 

Figure out the root cause.

According to Maenpaa, it's essential to find the root cause of the fear and investigate its emotional origins. “This might involve understanding past experiences of a turbulent flight, hearing stories from others as a child that exacerbated your fear, or related beliefs that may have contributed to the fear,” Maenpaa said. “Deeper exploration can reveal hidden triggers, and confronting these through psychodynamic therapy that brings the past into the present can be transformative.” 

Try exposure therapy.

After trying to understand where your fear came from, you could try to confront it with exposure therapy. “An effective way to overcome a fear of flying is through gradual exposure and learning how to calm your nervous system,” Abrah Sprung, a licensed clinical psychologist, told T+L. “Start by watching videos of planes taking off, then visit an airport without boarding a flight, and build up to taking a flight.” Facing your fear, Sprung said, is a step-by-step process that retrains your brain to respond “with confidence instead of panic.”

Or think about cognitive behavioral therapy.

According to Ashley Pena, the national executive director for Mission Connection, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one more approach to overcome your fear. “CBT helps you identify and challenge irrational fears about flying,” Pena said. “Many individuals catastrophize the experience (‘The plane will crash,' ‘I’ll have a panic attack and embarrass myself'), and CBT helps replace these thoughts with more balanced ones.” This may be perhaps one of the easier approaches to take. As Pena said, it can be done via virtual therapy so you can do it from the comfort of home.

Learn a simple breathing technique. 

Sprung offered another easy tip to try the next time you're feeling anxious on a flight: attempt box breathing. “To practice, inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four seconds,” Sprung said. “This helps regulate your nervous system and reduces anxiety.” 

Or this grounding exercise.  

Pena also offered one other simple sensory grounding technique: the “5-4-3-2-1.” On your flight, try to identify five things you see, four things you touch, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. “This keeps your mind present rather than focusing on fear,” Pena said. 

Download the right apps.

If you need a little more guidance on how to relax before or during a flight, that's OK. According to Rostilav Ignatov, the chief medical officer at The Haven Detox, there are plenty of apps to help you do just that. “Tools like meditation and relaxation apps for travel stress relief, such as Headspace, provide guided meditations and breathing exercises to encourage relaxation and reduce stress,” Rostilav told T+L. “These apps are highly accessible and can accompany travelers on flights, making the flying experience more comfortable and less intimidating.”

And avoid certain triggers.

This one is a bit of a bummer, but it's a good idea to forgo that glass of airport wine or a cookie if you suffer from any type of flight anxiety. “Unfortunately, alcohol and sugar are not the solutions to anxiety,” Erin Weinstein, a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, told T+L. “As difficult as this may be to accept, consuming a drink or sugary food before a flight can actually increase your anxiety despite providing temporary relief.” The reason is that alcohol and sugar cause your blood sugar levels to spike as they are digested. “That spike leads to your heart racing. That jittery sensation you experience may feel like panic, but it’s really just your body reacting to what you’ve consumed,” Weinstein said. And if you already have flight anxiety, you may start to associate this “jittery” feeling with flying, “potentially triggering a spiral of distressing thoughts.” 

Undergo hypnosis. 

Weinstein also suggested trying hypnosis if you have a fear of flying, as it “helps people build a personal ‘calm button'—a phrase, image, or sensation that instantly shifts them into relaxation mode.” She noted you can try it by listening to guided hypnosis on YouTube or booking a custom recording from her. 

Keep your mind busy. 

Michelle English, the executive clinical manager at Healthy Life Recovery, said keeping your brain busy on a flight may be enough to sidetrack you from any fears. “Bring something that can distract you—like a book, music, or a movie,” English said. “The more you focus on something else, the less time you'll have to think about and dwell on your fear. It's a simple trick, but it works for many people—keeping your mind busy can help calm your nerves and make the flight feel faster.” 

Talk to the crew.

Sometimes, chatting up the crew before takeoff can help calm those nerves, too. “One thing that can help is to talk to the flight crew. Ask any questions that you might have,” Jay L. Serle, the clinical supervisor of behavioral health at The Ohana Addiction Treatment Center, explained. “This can demystify flying and help a person understand more about things like turbulence, which can be scary for many. Simply understanding more about flying, turbulence, and other flight-related concepts can make a world of difference when it comes to alleviating anxiety.”

Understand that flying is abundantly safe.

One more critical thing to do is to understand that flying is abundantly safe. “Flying is one of the safest modes of transportation,” Sprung said. “Planes are built to handle turbulence, and pilots train extensively for every scenario. Turbulence may feel scary, but it’s just like bumps on a road—uncomfortable but not dangerous.” Sprung added that it's a good idea to “trust the data” since “the odds of a plane crash are about 1 in 11 million, making flying far safer than driving. Learning about the science behind flying can replace fear with understanding.” 

Maenpaa also added that those who live with a fear of flying should understand that it doesn't need to control them. “By reframing thoughts, learning more about flight safety, and understanding the systems in place to keep us safe, people can find comfort in the knowledge that flying is one of the safest ways to travel.” She, too, cited the stats, including those from the National Transportation Safety Board that show that planes are designed to withstand even direct lightning strikes, and that “you only have a 1 in 1.2 million chance of being in a plane crash, and the overall survival likelihood if you are in a plane crash is over 95 percent.” 

While yes there have been accidents, “millions of planes take off and land safely every single year without incident,” Maenpaa said. “Arming yourself with this knowledge can help you stay calm during moments of bumpiness or uncertainty mid-air, leading to significant improvements in your quality of life each time you fly.”