I am sure we have all sat next to nervous pax, who keep the aircraft aloft by gripping the armrest with an iron grip and breathing deeply and stertorously. I always encourage them by watching films on my laptop along the lines of 'famous air disasters' or 'Snakes on a Plane'.
Seriously though, on a flight into Kai Tak, we were going to have an interesting landing. My neighbour's breathing now resembled a steam train climbing a difficult gradient. I explained to her that Kai Tak had an excellent safety record, but that for the safety of passengers the pilot would probably put the aircraft down firmly on the piano keys and that there would probably be a bit of a thump as we landed. 'What are piano keys?' she asked, with a hint of hysteria in her voice. I explained.
Sure enough we hit Hongkongese concrete with a thump that had the overhead lockers bursting open. 'See? Nothing to worry about!' I reassured, while making a mental note not to fly out on that a/c until the landing gear had been checked over for damage. At least she didn't soil herself, and though that hard landings were normal.
If you want to watch the BA 'Fear of Flying' course, it's at Series 3 Episode 3 of 'Heathrow - Britain's Busiest Airport'. You can download it from TPB or the usual suspects. It's quite amusing.
Off topic, the Kai Tak checkerboard has been restored and is something of a tourist attraction. You can see it on Google maps at
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ch...oASAFQAw%3D%3D